Efforts to help victims of Hurricane Katrina and stories about how security companies fared during this natural disaster were just beginning to be obtained at press time, when the following recovery efforts and survival techniques were underway.

The Protection Bureau, Exton, Pa., offered temporary jobs to out-of-work technicians. The company offered to pay transportation costs and to evaluate housing and other needs. It was working with UMCOR, which channels all its funds to emergency relief without administrative expenses. The Protection Bureau also matched every dollar its employees donated to the Gulf Coast relief effort.

The National Burglar and Fire Alarm Association (NBFAA), Irving, Texas. and the Alarm Debt Liquidation Group (ADLG) teamed up to launch a Web site designed to connect companies who could temporarily put individuals to work or offer housing or other assistance to individuals who needed help.

NBFAA asked that companies who could provide temporary employment, housing or other assistance go to the NBFAA/ADLG Helping Hands relief center at www.alarm.org and register. In addition, companies in the affected areas who had openings as a result of the permanent displacement of employees also could register.

Individuals in the alarm/security industry seeking employment as a result of Hurricane Katrina also could go to www.alarm.org to obtain information about assistance. The site is updated frequently as NBFAA receives additional offers of help. Those who do not have access to the Internet should contact NBFAA at (888) 447-1689.

Although based in Metairie, La., just outside of New Orleans, Alarm Monitoring Services is still taking signals from all over Louisiana and throughout the nation. The company had contingency plans in place that kept the central station up and running. The first step in remaining online was evacuating and moving operations to the DICE Corp.'s disaster center in Bay City, Mich.

Alarm Monitoring Services has been planning for the likelihood of a disaster in the region for years. In addition to temporarily setting up the central station at the DICE disaster center, Alarm Monitoring Services purchased a new location in Monroe, La., about 4 hours from New Orleans on Aug. 29, the day Katrina hit.