New technology comes into its own when disasters strike, says Ben Slaymaker of Diversity Travel.
As a systems integration specialist, I work with technology every day and I am fortunate to have an input into how Diversity Travel develops technology products and services.
I have seen how technology has helped our clients whilst also appreciating the benefits first hand thanks to my time in Haiti and the Philippines as a volunteer for medical outreach charity OnCall.
For many in the third sector, unplanned world events and disasters signal a time to travel to help those in need. Or they can mean a time to come home.
In 2015 we saw various world events such as in the Philippines, Nepal and west Africa that compromised the security of international aid workers.
It is here where technology plays a pivotal role and it is important for international charity workers to know what support is available to them. Here are my tips for utilising this type of support when disaster strikes.
Technology plays a pivotal role and it is important for international charity workers to know what support is available to them
Ben Slaymaker of Diversity Travel
Make sure your employer knows where you are.
Determining the location of employees or volunteers in an emergency should not be difficult with the resources we have available today, and it can really pay to use a travel management company (TMC).
A good TMC will have an intelligent tracking system in place which enables them to quickly identify where you are and inform your employer immediately.
Using these tracking systems, TMCs also take the role of providing insight to employers about staff that are due to travel to a country affected by a crisis in the next seven days.
With the support of a TMC, your employer can contact you directly by email or text message via the tracking systems. For example, when the Nepal earthquake hit, our in-house emergency team received a notification via our travel risk intelligence system on the day it happened.
They were then able to alert clients whether they had, or were going to have, employees in the area.
It can be a daunting experience if a traveller suddenly finds themselves in a crisis, which is why in these situations time is of the essence.
Knowing that someone is looking out for your welfare calms the situation and ensures peace of mind – from the traveller to the employer.
Stay informed of changes as they happen.
Ensure you are aware of the current situation of any high-risk countries you are due to visit.
Most TMCs have risk management systems which are constantly updated with travel risk information feeds from various external monitoring agencies.
They display reservations as soon as they are ticketed giving travel arrangers more time to perform risk assessments.
It also alerts organisations if employees make a reservation or booking to destinations designated high risk or if a risk rating suddenly changes. A client recently made the decision to cancel his plans after the system alerted him to the potential of strike action by his airline. He had an important meeting the day after his trip and didn’t want to risk missing the meeting if the strikes went ahead.
Be prepared – know what to do and who to contact.
Make a note of your TMC’s emergency contact details and any login details for their apps or client portals before you travel.
This is essential when unexpected crises arise. When the Nepal earthquake hit last year, we had 100 clients in the area that needed our help and had to contact our emergency support plan team by telephone as there was no mobile phone signal or access to the internet.
Communication is key in unexpected situations. During the Nepal earthquake, some hotels were deemed unsafe and so many international charity workers risked a night sleeping on the street.
Luckily, our clients had been in contact with our support team or had later logged in to receive one of our email updates, so we were able to minimise this risk. The sooner your TMC can communicate with you, the quicker they can make alternative arrangements.
Booking flights out of Kathmandu was more of a challenge than getting seats travelling into Nepal. However, we did everything we could to support our clients – especially as some of them were keen to return to start raising funds in an effort to assist relief efforts in Nepal.
The nature of international charity work means that the risks can sometimes be high. By being aware of the technical support available – or potentially not available – to you, this risk can be substantially minimised in 2016.
Ben Slaymaker is a systems integration specialist for the travel management company Diversity Travel. In his spare time he is also a board member of a medical clinic in Haiti that provides free medical assistance to communities still recovering from the 2010 earthquake.
