Dear Friends,We have a number of lessons learned from Katrina - and one of the
biggest is technology WORKS - now if we could only get it to everyone.Many of
the Digital Divide Network (DDN) members have stepped up to the plate and shown
the world what can be done using the Internet. The article "Web Proves Its
Capacity to Help in Time of Need" By Chris Gaither and Matea Gold shows what
can be done, while waiting for government approval. See link below.VisionLink a
10 year old company specializing in developing on-line software to help
non-profits and educational institutes has just implemented the Tapestry system
with CAN.org serving the Katrina victims. See below for more detail.How can we
prepare for a DISASTER: On the 4People.tcfn.org, using the Tapestry system,
there is a disaster preparedness section. Only 4 counties out of 19 have
on-line disaster plans in eastern Washington. These plans provide lists of
supplies needed in case of a disaster - only a radio and battery
is listed for communications. This section has not been updated with cell
phones, community voice mail, laptops, WiFi, e-mail addresses, battery
chargers, etc. This is the list for the public that we need to put together.
Once Katrina victims got access to technology, there lives began to be put back
together. We'll start a list, and if you have time, please submit your ideas to
us.As for the 19-21 counties, we need to promote WiFi through out the 49,000+
square miles of eastern Washington, and this should be available to the public
for FREE during a disaster.Our job of DDN's is to continue to provide the
technology, the training, and resources to the have-nots of our communities. So
what are you doing in your community to bridge the digital divide?Ronda Evans
PresidentRECA (Realizing Every Community Asset) Foundation5210 W. 4th
Ave.Kennewick, WA [EMAIL PROTECTED] or [EMAIL PROTECTED] - connecting people to
technology4people.tcfn.org - connecting
people to resourcescalendars.tcfn.org connecting people to activitiesHere is a
string of dialogue I think you might want to know about:1. Dr. Douglas
Zimmerman is President and CEO of VisionLink - and Tapestry is the database
that CAN.org a partnership of United Way, FEMA, Salvation Army, etc., for
tracking disaster relief victims. In Eastern Washington with over 49,000 square
miles, 4People.tcfn.org uses the Tapestry system to show resources in each
rural county, and provides access to the Case Management system for a minimal
fee to track people and families. This dynamic on-line system allows each
agency to track their own clients and to share that information with other
agencies they work with and is HIPPA and HMIS compliant.09/13/05 Report from
Dr. Zimmerman: You can report to those interested that Tapestry is being used
as the national shelter registry for Katrina, will be bringing data in from
FEMA so that evacuees do not need to do duplicate registrations, and that we
are feeding public web sites information about shelters, mapping locations, and
so forth. We are also bringing in all the client records from Houston and other
shelters as we shift soon to a nation wide case management operation for
Katrina victims.2. Coordinated Assistance Network: CAN.org Using the Tapestry-
VisionLink on-line database. 9/13/05 - From Tamara Schomber, UWA Director of
Crisis Preparedness and Response: Attached please find Coordinated Assistance
Network (CAN) information. Please share with your agency partners which are
providing direct services to persons impacted by Hurricane Katrina. Please note
that those partner agencies may have already received this information already
through their own internal communications channels. CAN technology will also
provide a comprehensive depository of Katrina response services information and
will engage 211s/future 211s as well as our partners at FEMA in collecting
information about agencies and services across the
country being provided to persons impacted by Katrina. We will have more
details about this aspect of the CAN activation as processes are developed.3.
Web Proves Its Capacity to Help in Time of Need: By Chris Gaither and Matea
Gold Times Staff Writers September 10 2005 Thirty years after the Internet was
created as a communications system of last resort, the network fulfilled its
mission during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina but in ways more sweeping
than its founders could have imagined. The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-fi-internet10sep10,0,3262193.story?coll=la-home-headlines
Visit latimes.com at http://www.latimes.com
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