Restoring the Welfare of Our

Community
Gun Choi
Paul Forte
Tung Nguyen
Megan Self
Aralyn Tran

Table of Contents

Introduction...............................................................................

...............................3

Background

..4

Proposal
7
Plan
..8
Staffing
..11
Budget
.12
Authorization
Request
14
Reference
....15

Introduction
Natural disasters occur all over the world, however they transpire most
frequently in the United States. The United States ranks second amongst
all nations in national disaster frequency. In the U.S, most
disasters arise due to weather phenomena such as tornados,
hurricanes, and floods. Tornado alley stretches across
northern Texas through the northern part of Illinois. In 2012,
damage from tornadoes reached an all-time high of 1.6
billion dollars (Statista).
Since 2005, the number of natural disasters in the United
States has increased exponentially. In the United States, earthquakes
occur frequently on the West Coast, while tornadoes are more prevalent
in the Midwest. Hurricanes have their greatest impact on the Gulf States
and eastern seaboard. Severe weather--mostly hailstorms and tornadoes-affect more than 91% of the U.S. population. The fatality percentage
reaches a staggering 63% of those affected by the storms (US Disaster
Statistics). Those who survive natural disasters still suffer from significant
damages. Many lose their homes and basic necessities such as food and
clothing.
Preparation is the key to lessen the impact of a natural disaster, however
mother natures fury is relentless and even the most prepared household
or community may still be adversely affected. Our goal at Dell is to help
families recover loss and sustain themselves as they rebuild their lives.
Food, water, and helping connect with lost families are all things we want
to assist and provide to those who are displaced by a natural disaster.
The Dell Disaster Relief program will concentrate its efforts in assisting
communities with hurricane relief, tornado relief, flood and wildfire relief
and other destructive weather conditions. With the help of volunteers
from Dell, Inc. and our partnership with American Red Cross, Dell Disaster
Relief will be adequately prepared to respond to any disaster within
minutes of the Dallas/Fort Worth area. At a national level, the American
Red Cross supports relief efforts of large disasters that exceed resources
of the local chapter and its volunteers (Red Cross). Disaster response
volunteers and trainees are ready to provide immediate relief on a
national level. Our goal is to assist in efforts to relieve those in need after
disaster strikes (Red Cross).

Background
Dell and The American Red Cross in Texas
Dells revenues have increased about 2% from 2013 to 2015 (Bort, 2015).
Technology goods make up most of Dells products. Dell had 108,800
employees in 2013 worldwide. In Texas, Dell has about 14,000 employees
and is the largest private employer is in the Austin area (Egan, 2013).
Dell, a known goodwill company teamed up with the American Red Cross
to establish a Digital Operation Center in the Dallas area. The American
Red Cross will use the Center as a tool to help monitor social activities
before and during disasters. The Center will help victims connect to each
other easier during the emergency (Red Cross, 2016).
The American Red Cross is a nonprofit organization and their mission is to
empower people to become survivors (Red Cross, 2016). They are part of
the world's largest humanitarian network with 13 million volunteers in
187 countries. In North Texas, the American Red Cross serves about 9
million people. To reduce the number of victims, the American Red Cross
has relief events such as Lifesaving Blood or a donation event. The
American Red Cross welcomes anyone willing to volunteer and aid those
that need assistance.
The Consequences of Natural Disasters in Texas
The Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex ranks as one of the cities at highest risk
for natural disasters (Bestplace, 2016). The New York Times published an
analysis that determined the Dallas area is extremely vulnerable to
natural disasters such as tornadoes, gusty winds, floods, and hurricanes.
Severe weather in Texas occurs too often and victimizes too many of our
friends, family, and neighbors. We have to step in and take action. We
need to consider what to do in order to prepare for a disaster. We must
execute a plan of action when a disaster actually occurs. Finally, we need
to decide how we can mitigate the impact natural disasters have on the
local communities in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
As employees of Dell, our primary objective is to aid those suffering from
the impact caused by natural disasters in the Dallas/Fort Worth
metroplex. Natural disasters are a nationwide phenomenon that have
affected millions of people on a nationwide scale and occur in DFW at a
frequent pace, especially during the spring and summer months.
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However, DFW is no stranger to natural disasters during the winter

season, as ice storms and heavy snow may accumulate during the first
quarter of a given year. Ice storms significantly impact travel and safety
on the roads of DFW.

Background
Texas ranks first in the U.S in tornado frequency. In 2015,
Texas was the state with the highest number of tornadoes at
228. From 2008 to 2015, Texas experienced a large number
of tornadoes over that span (Dallas Business, 2016).
Figure 1

U.S Department of Commerce, Storm Prediction Center, National Weather

Service
From 1983 to 2014, Texas experienced high catastrophic loss due to
natural disaster at $51.3B. Hailstorms have a notable impact in the state
of Texas and happen quite frequently in the DFW metroplex. In March
2016, Dallas Forth Worth suffered serious hailstorm damage costing
$600M in total loss (Dallas Business, 2016).
Figure 2

Insurance Council of Texas; number is insured losses, actual dollars

Background
Texas has had the most flood/flash flood deaths of all the states in the
past 36 years causing 612 deaths. Texas experienced 4,722 flash flood
events from 1960 to 1995 (flood safety, 2005). The graph below reveals
the level of damage caused by floods in Texas 2015:
Figure 3

floodsafety.com
What Does Dell Disaster Relief Establish?
Dell Disaster Reliefs objective is to aid victims during emergencies. This
organization will use Dell technology to collect information and connect
victims with their families. In addition to reuniting families, Dell Disaster
Relief will organize an event to collect necessities such as water, food,
and clothing. Finally, we will also recruit volunteers from Dell Inc. and UTD
students. Our organization will increase Dells brand image and goodwill
to customers. We believe this project will deliver an effective message to
the public and bring Dell closer to the community.

Proposal
Dell Disaster Relief is dedicated to giving back to the community by
initiating preparatory measures as well as providing immediate alleviation
in the case of a natural disaster such as hurricanes, tornados and other
severe weather occurrences. There are very few organizations that
provide our proposed service. Although we are a volunteer group and not
a certified natural disaster response team, we strive to help assist victims
until professional help arrives. Not only will we be providing a necessary
service, but we can also increase Dells level of goodwill. We expect to
achieve two goals:
1)
2)

To accelerate recovery time for victims of natural disasters

To revamp our image and connect with millennials

Dell Disaster Relief is concerned with the well-being of our community. In

order to maximize our impact, Dell Disaster Relief would like to contribute
to the cause by partnering with American Red Cross. This partnership will
greatly increase our ability to accelerate recovery time for victims of
natural disasters.
According to author and Future Workplace Research Director Dan
Schawbel (2015), 87% of millennials use between two and three tech
devices at least once on a daily basis. 39% are either very or completely
likely to purchase a tablet computer in the next five years. This means
Dell Inc. needs to start appealing to Generation Y. Increasing our goodwill
and revamping Dells image will be the best way to connect to
millennials. Schawbel reports that 75% (of gen y-ers) said that its either
fairly or very important that a company gives back to society instead of
just making a profit. Millennials love brands that support their local
communities and would rather purchase from them than competitors
(Schawbel). If Dell is successful with these charitable events, we may be
able to increase the number of customers loyal to our brand.
Our proposed events Rainy Day Relief and Immediate Relief will provide a
necessary service for the Dallas/Fort Worth community. Our Disaster
Relief projects will not only be an opportunity to increase goodwill, but
also an opportunity for students to network with Dell employees. It would
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be resourceful for students to experience Dells company culture before

applying for internship.

Plan
Rainy Day Relief
We plan to organize a bi-annual Rainy Day Relief event for the purpose of
collecting non-perishable food, clothing, and cleaning supplies. We will
also be accepting hygiene products and first aid kits for the families
affected. Natural disasters are unpredictable, so we will be stowing away
all collected goods in a spare storage room in the basement of Dell
Headquarters until time of need. To better prepare for our Immediate
Relief event, we are using Rainy Day Relief to also accumulate storage
bins for collected goods and cleaning supplies such as trash bags and
gloves. Our goal is to collect food and clothing to help sustain of 200
families for two weeks to hold long enough for professional aid to arrive.
Dell will also help us with the estimated amount of food needed for the
200 families.
Marketing to Dell Employees
Fliers will be posted around the company to attract volunteers. Social
media platforms such as: Facebook and Twitter will also be used to get
the message out to our employees. Volunteering Dell employees will act
as our recruiters and will get paid their normal salary during their
volunteer time. In order to accumulate contact information about Dell
volunteering employees, we will provide appropriate incentives. The first
40 Dell employees to volunteer and register to cleanup sites will receive
full salaries and extra sick days while working on our event.
Marketing to UTD Students
Rainy Day Relief will be our primary source of marketing to recruit UTD
student volunteers. The first 100 students to sign up for our project will
be on the list of contact when disasters happen. We will be offering $50
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gift cards to volunteers who show up and participate at the Immediate

Relief event. Those who participate will also have the opportunity to fulfill
on their internship requirements at Dell and possibly lead to permanent
job offers. Our recruiters will also discuss the many benefits of having
volunteer work listed on resumes and LinkedIn profiles.
Recruitment and Collection
We expect to reach out to business and technology students in the
Naveen Jindal School of Management (JSOM), the Edith ODonnell Arts and
Technology Building (ATEC) and the Student Union building on campus at
the University of Texas at Dallas. These events will be held twice a year,
during both fall and spring seasons.

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Plan

Immediate Relief
Our goal is to make it easier for those affected to recover from their loss.
We estimate that in the case of a natural disaster, we will need 140
volunteers to help clean up debris and distribute collected goods in
affected neighborhoods within Dallas/Fort Worth. In case of emergency,
the event coordinator will contact the list of volunteers to assign their
roles and the dates they will be working on. This Immediate Relief will be
in a two-day period.

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Plan

13

Staffing
Recruitment and Volunteer Roles
From 40 employees volunteered, we will need 9 people to set up 3 booths
throughout UTD campus to promote our cause and recruit 100 UTD
students. We will also answer any questions students have regarding
internship opportunities with Dell.
In case of a disaster, UTD Disaster Relief will alert volunteers by various
channels: phone, email, and social media. The event will be divided into
two days. Students of UTD will be separated into two groups of 50
students. Each group will be assigned a day and collectively with 40 Dell
volunteers. From there, our event coordinator will assign 10 Dell
employees and 10 UTD students to work at the call center. The
remaining 30 Dell employees will work on site with the rest of 40 UTD
students to clean the debris in affected neighborhoods and distribute
goods.

14

Budget
The biggest portion of our budget will aim to provide sufficient food and
water to sustain our victims for two weeks. We wish to deliver supplies for
200 families and estimated each family on average consists four people.
Each family will be provided breakfast, lunch and dinner to the total of
33,600 units with each unit costs $2.
We also proposed to pay each volunteer employee their full salary during
these events and also extra vacation days for their commitments. We will
also hand out $50 Dell gift-cards for UTD students who partake in our
project. The rest of the budget will be used to obtain necessary items to
jumpstart the whole project such as: getting enough supplies for cleanup
sites, making T-shirts for volunteers with Dells logo promote our
companys image, providing food and beverages for our volunteers.

15

Budget

16

Authorization Request
Our research shows that natural disasters can cost millions of dollars of
damage, and also thousands of peoples lives. By partnering with The
American Red Cross, we hope to provide a substantial amount of relief for
those affected by natural disasters. Dell Disaster Relief also expects these
events to help modernize our image and better connect with millennials,
our growing customer base. We are confident that this project will provide
opportunity for Dell employees and UTD students to work together and
students will have a better understanding of the Dells company culture.
Thank you for taking the time to review our proposal. We request a
funding of $55,390 to be invested into our Rainy Day Relief and
Immediate Relief project. We ask that the funds be available by August
1, 2016 in order to allow sufficient time for planning.

Approved by:
____________________________
Signature
____________________________
Date

17

Suresh C. Vaswani
President, Services
One Dell Way
Round Rock, TX 78682

Reference
Call, B. (2016, May 20). "Storm Damages, USA" Dallas Business Journal, p.
10.

Egan, J. (2013, November 25). "Dell, Austin regions largest employer, to

send workers home"
Retrieved July 14, 2016, from
http://austin.culturemap.com/news/innovation/11-24-13-dell-austinregion-largest-employer-teleco

"Flood Damage and Fatality Statistics" (n.d.). Retrieved July 14, 2016,
from
http://floodsafety.com/national/life/statistics.htm

Hoopfer, E. (2016, May 20). "The Cost of Living in Tornadoes" Dallas

Business Journal, p. 4.

"Number of Natural Disasters in the United States" (n.d.). Retrieved July

14, 2016, from
http://www.statista.com/statistics/236504/number-of-naturaldisasters-in-the-us-by-type/
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"Safest Places from Natural Disasters" (n.d.). Retrieved July 14, 2016,
from
http://www.bestplaces.net/docs/studies/safest_places_from_natural_
disasters.aspx

Schawbel, D. (2015, January 20). 10 New Findings About the Millennial

Consumer Forbes, p. 2.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/danschawbel/2015/01/20/10-newfindings-about-the-millennial-consumer

"The North Texas Digital Operations Center" (n.d.). Retrieved July 14,
2016, from
http://www.redcross.org/local/texas/north-texas/DigiDOC

"US Disaster Statistics" (n.d.). Retrieved July 14, 2016, from

http://disaster-survival-resources.com/us-disaster-statistics.html

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