Wildfires impact tech companies
Our first thoughts here at EDN’s news desk when we began hearing about the wildfires raging through California were ones of concern for all of the people put in harm’s way by the fires and those being forced out of their homes. Indeed, the numbers coming in from various sources claim six fire-related deaths and estimate those displaced at between 500,000 and 700,000, some of which are members of our own EDN staff.
Our second thought was: What tech companies have been impacted by this disaster? So far, reports from Qualcomm, Hewlett Packard, Nokia, Sony and Kyocera have come in stating office and/or manufacturing plant closures due to area evacuation or road closure. No incidents of serious damage to tech company buildings, however, have yet to be reported. How the wildfires’ devastation will play out the electronics supply chain is yet to be fully seen, but it’s safe to say we’ll be feeling the effects of this destruction into 2008.
Below are a few links, ones to stories on how technology is helping in the fight against the wildfires and ones for those needing emergency information. Please post any further links you see fit on the wildfires through our comments field below.
–Suzanne Deffree, News Editor
Hottest technology deployed in fight against wildfires
‘Fire blogging’ tech expert on how fellow evacuees and networks are holding up
