Just after Katrina, my employer sent a bunch of us volunteers down to Louisiana/Georgia/Texas with networking equipment, laptops, and VOIP phones (all donated to the Red Cross). We were embedded into the Red Cross volunteer system, and transported and set up banks of phones and laptops in the relief shelters.
People were able to call their relatives and send emails to let people know that they were alive and arrange to be reunited with separated family members. You can't imagine what it's like to see a mother who was separated from her kids when they were pulled off a roof by boats, when she finally finds out where they are and that they are OK.
Remember those voucher credit cards that were handed out to help people buy basic necessities? Intel, Cisco, and Avaya provided the infrastructure, equipment and volunteers to issue those cards.
One interesting side story: When we arrived in the Baton Rouge fairgrounds with our boxes of networking equipment, we found that there was already a trailer set up with network access for people to use. It turns out that a Good Samaritan had wandered to the fairgrounds to see if he could help, and noticed there wasn't any networking infrastructure. He called the tech support line for his ISP, and asked if the ISP could help out. The ISP tech support guy sent the request up his chain (in the middle of the night), and within a couple of hours the ISP had live networking available at the fairgrounds. The Good Samaritan brought some computers from home, and set up a table with computers available for use. When newscrews arrived later, they were able to just piggyback on the network connection. By the time we arrived, the network was running smoothly and with plenty of donated computers. Spontaneous networking!
Unfortunately, the food situation in Baton Rouge wasn't quite as smooth... the big chain restaurant that had received the order for dinner for several thousand people decided not to accept the Red Cross money, but didn't bother to let the Red Cross know. The Red Cross volunteers started pooling their credit cards and money to figure out how to pay for dinner for all the hungry people. Talk about caring people...
Red Cross Disaster Relief people are wonderful. If you want to be one, google for Red Cross Disaster Relief. When we were in Montgomery Alabama doing our networking, there were volunteers arriving by the busload. Most had only a backpack of personal possessions (soap, toothbrush, change of clothes, etc). These people weren't there for the money (it's volunteer labor), or the glory. It's hot sweaty work, dealing with stressed out displaced people, some of whom are very angry and frustrated. The volunteers were there to help out.
I'm glad I got the chance to help after Katrina, and I hope to be able to volunteer again in the future.
Thank You to Intel, Cisco, and Avaya for allowing us employees the opportunity to volunteer.
