Washington, D.C. - Business Roundtable, an association of 160 chief executive officers of leading U.S. companies, launched a new Web site, www.respondtodisaster.org, the first comprehensive clearinghouse of information to help the business community better prepare for disasters.

The Web site was created by the Roundtable's Partnership for Disaster Response, a Task Force dedicated to leveraging corporate resources to create a more effective response to natural disasters in the United States and abroad. Bob Nardelli, chairman, president & CEO of The Home Depot, is the chairman of the Partnership for Disaster Response Task Force, which is comprised of 30 Business Roundtable CEOs from companies across a variety of industries, including telecommunications, manufacturing, chemical, retail, insurance, health/medical, IT, financial services, transportation/logistics, energy and electric.

"Of all the devastating lessons we learned from the 2005 hurricane season, perhaps the most important one was the crucial role business plays in the long-term well-being of our communities," said Nardelli. "By combining our diverse assets, experience and expertise, and collaborating on finding new solutions to disaster response, our positive impact will be even greater when the next disaster occurs."

The Web site includes corporate best practices in responding to disasters, a directory of relief agencies, tools on how companies and employees can contribute most effectively to relief efforts and guidance on volunteer opportunities for employees.

The Partnership for Disaster Response works to enhance the efficiency of the private sector's response to communities' most critical needs following a disaster by mobilizing valuable resources - beyond financial contributions - that Roundtable member companies are equipped to provide.

The Partnership for Disaster Response was activated for the first time immediately following Hurricane Katrina. Business Roundtable member companies contributed $362 million in funding, services, supplies and equipment to support Hurricane Katrina immediate relief efforts. The Partnership urged member companies to contribute to the relief effort and facilitated communications about critical, on-the-ground needs. The Partnership also maintained daily contact with the American Red Cross, The Salvation Army, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Commerce and others, and helped match these organizations' needs with member companies' resources.

"It is groundbreaking to bring together companies from across industries to create tools and share information to bolster the nation's disaster response and accelerate recovery efforts," said Bill McDermott, CEO of SAP Americas and vice-chairman of Partnership for Disaster Response. "We will be working together with government and relief agencies as a team to create a unified response to disasters and build a stronger network of concerned, committed companies."

To view the new Web site, visit www.respondtodisaster.org.

Business Roundtable (www.businessroundtable.org) is an association of chief executive officers of leading U.S. companies with over $4.5 trillion in annual revenues and more than 10 million employees. Member companies comprise nearly a third of the total value of the U.S. stock market and represent nearly a third of all corporate income taxes paid to the federal government. Collectively, they returned more than $110 billion in dividends to shareholders and the economy in 2005.

Roundtable companies give more than $7 billion a year in combined charitable contributions, representing nearly 60 percent of total corporate giving. They are technology innovation leaders, with $86 billion in annual research and development spending - nearly half of the total private R&D spending in the U.S.

Business Roundtable

Business Roundtable

Business Roundtable is an association of chief executive officers of leading U.S. companies with more than $5 trillion in annual revenues and nearly 10 million employees. Member companies comprise nearly a third of the total value of the U.S. stock markets and pay nearly half of all corporate income taxes paid to the federal government. Annually, they return $133 billion in dividends to shareholders and the economy. Business Roundtable companies give more than $7 billion a year in combined charitable contributions, representing nearly 60 percent of total corporate giving. They are technology innovation leaders, with more than $70 billion in annual research and development spending é¢â‚¬â€œ more than a third of the total private R&D spending in the U.S.

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