Life has not returned to normal for so many people on the East Coast following Hurricane Sandy, and it looks like it won't for some time.
We are fortunate that our office in Manhattan on 42nd Street is located in an area that had power restored almost immediately this week. While we were able to open up for business not long after the storm had passed, the same couldn't be said for many of our clients whose offices are in lower Manhattan.
On Wednesday, a client asked if we had power and if so, could he borrow a desk. Our NY team welcomed him warmly, and he spent the day working in a conference room. Word quickly got out through our connection and through social media, and on Thursday, we hosted about 20 people from seven companies in our two conference rooms. Many are back today and some might still have to return next week if power is not restored. They are more than welcome.
Regina Chien from our Entrepreneur Banking group in New York reported: "We have clients walking around in the kitchen taking their conference calls. They are sitting next to the elevator on occasion for some quiet space. I found the CEO of GateGuru in our supply closet making a private call because we were out of guest offices. He said it was not a problem and that there was actually great eception in there."
One of the pillars of our mission is to help solve our clients' problems. I can think of few problems larger than being unable to operate your business for days, if not weeks. I want to salute our team in New York for taking the initiative to help our clients in a time of need. I can tell by these Tweets (Tweet #1, Tweet #2, Tweet #3) that they are most appreciative.
We are wishing for a speedy recovery in all the affected areas of the East Coast as they embark on a huge cleanup and restoration effort. We encourage our network of clients, partners and friends to join us in making whatever contribution you can to Hurricane Sandy Relief through the Red Cross or otherwise. You can find opportunities to help on the FEMA website. http://www.fema.gov/volunteer-donate-responsibly