Community swift to act on tragedy

The US facilities community reacted swiftly offering professional help and support to individuals and businesses caught up in the horrific terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.

Within hours of the attacks, the Houston-based International Facilities Management Association (IFMA) had constructed an emergency response website prompting messages of support from around the world.

Keith Pratt, head of the London chapter of the association, which has 19,000 members in the US and across the world, said in the aftermath of the attacks, the two New York chapters approached Houston requesting a forum for the facilities community to exchange information.

'They wanted to provide a base for real estate and facilities information as well as somewhere people could post information and get responses on some quite complex issues such as power outages,' he said.'They also wanted to reference material on contingency planning.'

IFMA worked on the recovery site overnight and it was up and running by morning. It includes a list of individuals from an emergency response forum, including council members in the UK, who can be contacted for advice or to help find solutions to problems from places to work to power supplies.

A bulletin board is serving as a point of contact for individuals to request information and offer help.

In a statement, IFMA chief executive Dennis Longworth and chair Geert Freling said: 'IFMA offers its condolences and prayers to Americans everywhere, to those who live and work here, and to those around the world who have been similarly threatened. Despite this setback, life and business will continue.

'The Association and its members have a history of meeting workplace challenges. The leadership role of the facility manager is more critical than ever. Throughout the world, people will be returning to work trusting in facility management and their organisations' plans to address extreme situatuations of this nature,' they added.

The bulletin board has been inundated with offers of help, both from individuals — such as a facilities manager offering to relocate to his firm's New York office to assist other businesses — and firms offering office space and other resources.

The association says it will provide any resources at its disposal.

Speaking to TheFB just a few days after the tragedy, Pratt said the IFMA site had provided an opportunity for many people with friends in the US to express condolences. He said anyone who wished to help should access the website.

The site also has a recovery fund to which individuals can contribute online at the website, ifma.org.

Professionals from London's property services world held a minute's silence at a breakfast meeting held the morning after the tragedy. With no time to cancel, the club went ahead. Guest speaker Peter Walicknowski, director of strategy and business development at Land Securities Trillium said: 'The World Trade Center was the most explicit symbol of the industry we are in. Watching it turn to rubble was a personal tragedy.'