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 Newsletter / February 2010 |
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By Jim Stavis For the past month or so, we have been bombarded by the tragic images from Haiti as a result of the 7.0 earthquake that struck the country on January 12th. All of the news outlets were quick to capture the destruction, as it became another potential Katrina event. Would help arrive soon enough for the thousands of people who became homeless and were without food and water? Would there be enough health care for the wounded and sickened population? Here in America and around the world, there were drives for money and supplies that could supplement the millions of dollars that was provided by governments. This became not just a Haitian problem, but a human problem. The question I have is: Could it have been avoided?  According to scientists, the reason for the earthquake’s severity was threefold. First, it was centered just 10 miles southwest of the capital city, Port au Prince. Second, the quake was shallow—only about 10 to 15 kilometers below the land’s surface. Third and most importantly, most of the homes and buildings in the economically poor country were not built to withstand such a quake and merely collapsed or crumbled.
According to geologists, this area was as ripe for major earthquake activity as we are with the San Andreas Fault here in California. There have been numerous quakes from Puerto Rico throughout the Caribbean that should have been a warning sign to any and every country within this region. Despite that, the Haitians say they couldn’t prepare because they did not have the resources to build structures to withstand such an earthquake. Even the Presidential palace suffered severe damage, which tells you how unprepared Haiti was for such an event.
Yet, even in Mexico, which is also economically poor and is often referred to as a third world country, they have managed to build structures that can withstand earthquakes, hurricanes and whatever Mother Nature throws its way. Why couldn’t Haiti do the same? Here in California, we understand the risks of living in a quake zone. We have building codes designed with earthquake safety in mind, skyscrapers on rollers to withstand quakes and quick response teams established so that when a quake occurs, there is a plan of what to do. I highly doubt Haiti was prepared for any of this. So what lessons can be learned from this tragic event? First and foremost, earthquake awareness must be taught and embraced by the populace. If people do not live or work in a structure that is earthquake safe, they should have a shelter to run to or a table to crawl under. Secondly, the government must establish some building codes that must be adhered to. Many of the Haitian buildings lacked steel reinforcement and concrete of good quality. The rebar was so flimsy that it could be bent manually. There is enough knowledge around the world to help the Haitians rebuild with earthquake safety in mind. Finally, it is critical that Haitians stay aware of where they live. There will continue to be aftershocks for months, even years, to come. The earth’s floor will continue to be active and more earthquakes are inevitable. How does all this relate to steel? It’s simple. Steel in construction has been proven to provide stability and strength to structures that utilize it. This is no longer an unknown fact. At one time, steel was only available from a limited amount of industrialized countries. This is no longer the case as steel is manufactured in nearly every region of the world. There really are no excuses for building without it. TAKING EACH OTHER PLACES When you work in the world of corporate communications, one thing you quickly realize is that some companies communicate because they think they should. Everyone else is doing it so, hey, maybe it’s the right thing to do. But deep down, they really don’t believe in it. Maybe that’s why it was so meaningful when I was driving to Paragon Steel with Jim Stavis the other day. He had just received an email and read it out loud. The person complimented Paragon Steel on its communications, calling them “refined.” It made me smile. Our team began working with Paragon Steel a little over two years ago after our company’s president met Jim at a mutual friend’s house. She told him about our growing full-service corporate communications firm in the San Fernando Valley with editorial, design and printing all under one roof. Jim told her they had been doing a newsletter for years and had a website, but needed someone to push them a little—to take them places. Several conversations later, we were fortunate enough to be that firm. Since then, we have learned a lot about Paragon Steel. First, Jim and Doug Carpenter really do believe in the value of communicating with customers and were actually doing it quite well on their own. I mean, who would have thought of using hilarious cartoon babies (originally based on Jim and Doug’s sons, who are both in college now) to sell steel? We have also discovered that Paragon Steel doesn’t try to be something they are not. They know they can’t compete on price alone; it’s quality, service and specialty products and services that really set them apart. Additionally, the Paragon Steel team’s accessibility and honesty is refreshing. Their approach is to be straightforward, heartfelt and relevant. Over the past two years, even through the most challenging economy in decades, we’ve had the pleasure of working with the Paragon Steel team on everything from newsletters to a revamped Website to help take them places. The funny thing is, though, they’ve taken us places as well. —Christina Jorgensen, Executive Editor, Drizen-Dohs Corporate Communications |
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