There's an organization called Part 15 helping to set up wireless communications infrastructure in disaster areas to help with coordination of relief work. They have some corporate sponsors for equipment and many volunteers, but they also need financial support for supplying those volunteers. More information here.
(Via this /. article.)
Update (Sep-04): Craigslist has special sections up for several of the affected cities. Temporary housing, jobs, etc. Here's a note from someone working at the Astrodome. In particular, they've found a new, rather morbid use of the lost and found section. (Links via this Ars article.)
Also: Slate article on the reporters finally calling politicians on their lies. In fact, CNN even has a whole article explicitly pointing out the "disconnect" between "official" and "in the trench" accounts. I guess this is what it takes.
Comments (2)
Another geeky way: In case you have time to volunteer now or think you can use it: Ethan Zuckerman and some associates have built something called the Katrina People Finder to try and systematically collect and reconcile all the different Craigslist/newspaper type bulletins into a single, searchable database. They've designed a data-set standard and have so far had 2100 volunteers enter put together 68,000 records. They need volunteers both with the programming and the data-entry.
Posted by SSR | September 6, 2005
Posted on September 6, 2005
Re: my comment above--
KatrinaList.net, the searchable people finder, appears to be up and running now. Ethan's perspective on its development makes for great geek reading.
Posted by SSR | September 6, 2005
Posted on September 6, 2005