On Friday, May 29, Linda Mathes from American Red Cross of the National Capital & Greater Chesapeake Region had a one-on-one conversation with Maggie Carter, Principal of Disaster Response Program at Amazon Web Services. As the leaders of major disaster response teams that deal with threats from weather to cybersecurity, both spoke in detail about how their organizations work year round to stay prepared and what happens when something completely unexpected, like a pandemic, strikes.
In addition to the work each of their organizations do individually, Mathes and Carter explained the work they do together. AWS has worked with the American Red Cross to create on-demand call centers after major weather events that were powered by AWS technology, but allowed the American Red Cross to scale their capacity efficiently. “It’s been amazing to see how we can collaborate leveraging technology and how the Red Cross’s usage of virtual call centers has evolved over time,” said Carter. “Now we’re able to spin it up within hours.”
Mathes also takes the time to review how organizations and individuals are able to collaborate and prepare for unprecedented disasters, such as hurricanes. “Make sure that your plans are updated and refreshed,” says Mathes. Whether dealing with coronavirus or other events, staying informed on local and state guidelines is one of a few key steps to staying safe.
To read more about how AWS is responding to the COVID-19 crisis click here.
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Thank you to AWS for supporting the event!
