WASHINGTON (3 August 2021) – IEEE-USA has gratefully accepted delivery of a donated response vehicle from Cisco for its MOVE (Mobile Outreach Vehicle) Initiative. The vehicle was delivered on 30 July near MOVE’s base of operations near Raleigh, North Carolina.
MOVE is a volunteer-run emergency relief program that assists victims of natural disasters with short-term communications, computer, and power solutions. This helps those affected contact loved ones and make sure they can access the help they need. MOVE’s flagship vehicle and personnel have served in 19 states across the southern and eastern United States and Puerto Rico.
In March of this year, MOVE marked the fifth anniversary of this important relief and outreach program. Since March 2016, MOVE’s trained volunteers have deployed more than 20 times on disaster relief missions, primarily in partnership with the American Red Cross. These missions have stretched from Texas to New York, helping over a quarter million people to date – all with just one relief vehicle.
With Cisco’s generous vehicle donation, MOVE will effectively double the size of its disaster relief fleet, enabling the program to help even more people. After all the necessary equipment is installed and tested, the truck will be deployed to the western U.S., while the existing vehicle will remain on the East Coast.
“I’m thrilled and so appreciative for Cisco’s charitable gift,” said Mary Ellen Randall, MOVE Program Director. “Our skilled volunteers have helped communities from Texas to Florida to New York in their times of need. People are always grateful for the work we do, and often ask when we’ll expand to other parts of the country. Thanks to Cisco, now we can.”
“The Network Emergency Response Vehicle (NERV) has been a critical part of Cisco’s efforts to provide emergency connectivity and communications support during natural disasters,” said Matt Runyan, engineering lead and network consulting engineer with Cisco’s crisis response team. “We are happy to donate it to an organization that shares our belief that connectivity is a critical form of aid to help people and communities respond to and recover from disasters.”
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MOVE is funded by donations like yours. Your support is greatly appreciated. Please consider helping the MOVE Community Outreach program by donating to the cause.
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Interested in volunteering? Please visit our volunteer information page.