Time for a "Camp Shagnasty" Five Year Reunion Mike
On Wed, Sep 1, 2010 at 3:42 PM, Matt Larsen - Lists <[email protected]>wrote: > (from my blog, WirelessCowboys.com) > > > > It is now 5 years since Katrina hit New Orleans and changed the face of the > Gulf Coast forever. One of the good things that came out of this disaster > was the outstanding effort by wireless ISPs that came together to provide > Internet and phone services to thousands of refugees from the storm. Mac > Dearman stood at the center of that effort. > > I called Mac the day after Katrina hit to check in on him and see how bad > off he had it. Other than a little damage, his network was in good > shape. I called a couple of days later, and he told me stories about the > refugees of the storm, churches and makeshift shelters filled to overflowing > with people that had nothing more than the clothes on the backs. He and > his employees had been working non-stop to put in Internet connections and > voip phones at the shelters so that the people there would be able to > contact their loved ones and start the process of applying for federal > help. I could tell from the tone in his voice that he was completely worn > out, but could not stop because this work had to be done. > > I got on a plane the next morning and headed down to help in any way that I > could. > > Within two days after I arrived, there were at least 30 people camped out > at Mac's farm near Rayville, Louisiana and semi loads of donated equipment > had arrived that allowed us to put Internet, VOIP phones and computers at > nearly every shelter in Mac's service area. I had to leave after a week, > but Mac took his volunteer army of WISPs down to the Bay St. Louis and > Gulfport areas along the coast and kept going until the next spring. > > It was truly an amazing effort, done with no government support, purely > with volunteer help and donated equipment. The campaign to help people > after Katrina was a pinnacle moment of the infant WISP industry, and a > perfect illustration of the ability of WISPs to provide critical services > quickly, efficiently and professionally. > > Thank you Mac, and thanks to all of the volunteers that were able to take > the time to help him out. WISPs everywhere owe you a debt of gratitude. > > More reading: > > http://www.redherring.com/Home/15053 > > http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/10/03/mac.dearman/ > > Matt Larsen > > Vistabeam.com > > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > WISPA Wants You! Join today! > http://signup.wispa.org/ > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > WISPA Wireless List: [email protected] > > Subscribe/Unsubscribe: > http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless > > Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/ >
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