Slashdot Mirror
New York Red Cross Needs Tech Help
zosa writes: "The New York American Red Cross is in dire need of technology equipment and services. The field workers and sites have little, if any, means of communication and the central office is processing way too much on completely paper systems. Your help in acquiring these resources would be greatly appreciated." You can read more over at this page. Finally something that the average Slashdot reader can do to help.
Sprint PCS is donating Cell phones to the red cross as we speak.
I'm sitting at my desk right now writing a script to activate the phones to the network elements and create the account.
cvg
This call for help is almost 24 hours old.. I would like to think they have most of the list already.. except for some of the rarer things...
E-mail below:
---------------
Thank you for your inquiry to Microsoft.
Microsoft Corporation has announced that it will make a donation of $10 million cash and technical services to support the relief and recovery efforts in the areas devastated by the tragic events of September 11.
The company will make a $5 million cash donation to The September 11 Fund, created by the United Way of New York City and The New York Community Trust. A remaining amount up to $5 million in services, software and volunteers will be made available to organizations serving people in the affected areas who are seeking technology-based solutions.
Microsoft will begin an outreach program to governmental agencies, nonprofit agencies and other community-based organizations to inform these organizations of the availability of technology assistance. Microsoft has already asked NPower New York, a recently created nonprofit technology service provider, to assess and dispatch technology services through their network of local agencies.
The technology assistance could possibly include:
- Providing internet access in temporary shelters,
- Creating a tracking system to assist in relief and recovery efforts,
- Coordinating technical volunteers to set up networks,
Microsoft's intent is to work with the various organizations active in the disaster and recovery response that may be ready to deploy a technology solution though an assessment of the technology needs must be made first.
For more information, please visit our website at
www.microsoft.com/giving.
Sincerely,
Microsoft Community Affairs
Update... According to msnbc teh story about Osama bin Laden's hosue arrest is false, being spread by a report in an Arab newspaper. The Taliban has denied this.
"You can take our lives, but you can never take our Flerbage!!!!"
--
"Open source is good." - Steve Jobs
"Open source is evil." - Microsoft
I tried to get in touch with him early early today, and still have not heard from him. Please don't bog him down with useless stuff, I am sure his e-mail was strained to the max at 9am eastern when I tried, and it is sure to get
Neck_of_the_Woods
#/usr/local/surf/glassy/overhead
ABC News just reported that contrary to earlier reports, rescue workers do need "small" things like gloves, work boots, Neosporin, flashlights, rain ponchos (rain is coming to the area), oxygen tanks, Kleenex, Band-Aids. If you are in the area, maybe you can point people to the proper places to help (and verify this info).
MS gave $10 million, as posted up above, 12 minutes before your post (you must've missed it since you surely read the thread before posting).
You may be surprised to learn that more than 1,200 IBM customers were located in the World Trade Center or within a two-block radius.
...
Currently, we're managing or have already resolved 20 full-blown emergency situations. We're rolling in large servers, thousands of ThinkPads and workstations; we're providing thousands of square feet of data center capacity; re-creating data processing environments that were destroyed; and relocating customers' operations to IBM facilities.
To be sure, Gates and the rest of the wealthy will be donating money. I know of several prominent families who have already pledged multi-million dollar contributions. Most do it anonymously. No one likes a glory hound.
I just called the Red Cross here in MA. They requested that we give blood in about thirty days. Their fear is that once the crisis here has calmed, people will not replenish the much needed supply. Apparently our red stuff has a shelf life of forty-two days.
Do your best to donate anything you can afford. The salvation army is looking for new clothing and medical supplies for the rescue workers.
-Donald
In the meantime, my company would LOVE to put some stuff together. We've already started helping a bit. rational software is putting together a van full of equipment and people to deliver. Please contact Ali Kaufman to see if you can help at all.
If you know of anyone else who can use computers or equipment in the NYC area in relation to this disaster, please tell her or me, dave, and we'll try to coordinate!! It's better than just sending a bunch a stuff and people down and saying, "TAKE IT!"
Dave
I already contacted Joe Leo and he told me straight out that they are just looking for people to do data entry.
Now the big battle is in how to get there from Queens...
rrdejay
Gone but not... ummm
Microsoft matches its donations and there are a number of grassroots donations being put together. Wont hit $500M but it will be significant.
I mentioned this link on the Long Island Linux Users Group Mailing List. Unfortunatly I cannot make it there until this weekend if that, but at least one member can go down there.
One problem, he can't get through to the contact number for the red cross.
So if anyone figures out how to actually get them on the horn please post it here or on the LILUG Mailing List.
Matthew Newhall
President of LILUG.
Novel theory: Modern Man evolved from psychopath
Even the REAL Great Satan (X10) suspended its' ads on Tuesday!!!
The nanog list has had tons of posts from people willing to lend a hand in networking and communications. Check http://nanog.org/mailinglist.html for the list archive. Contact info for a lot of people that want to help out can be found there.
-WetDog
I think it would be great if a software professional could get their needs for software and we could start an open source project for the Red Cross to meet their needs and help out.
Cisco gave $6 million.
General Electric gave $10 million.
All three deserve our respect and thanks for their actions.
Breakfast served all day!
If you want to help by doing more than just participating in local ARES and RACES nets, you can actually show up to help. As of last night, the place to go was 150 Amsterdam Ave (corner of Amsterdam and 66th St. What you should really do though is check into the 147.000 (-, PL 136.5) repeater on your way into the city or the 444.050 (pl 114.8) repeater. These are controlled nets at the moment, so communicate with net control. You do not need to be currently affiliated with ARES or RACES to help. Over the next few days as the fervor dies down, operators will be needed more and more for the shelters which will be continuing to be open, as well as the support operations in the hot zone.
The area is truly a scary sight (These photos were taken last night by me.) and no matter where you are volunteering for them, you are supposed to participate in a debrief which includes psychological counseling if necessary.
If you are not a licensed ham, the Red Cross can still use your help, they desperatly need volunteers to man the shelters expecially nurses, doctors, and mental health professionals, but volunteers with no special training as well.
73,
Adam pennington - KB1ELI
Would you do it for some scoobie crack?
They are there runnig the packet network that is tied to a program called ARESDATA. it's a disaster victim location system.
Great software.... runs on XT laptops and uses 1200BPS standard Packet radio.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
I've been very impressed lately with the frequency and size of donations from businesses/corporations:
Microsoft donated [www.microsoft.com] $5M in cash to United Way in NY, $5M in licenses/support/tech help.
Sprint has donated [www.sprint.com] handsets and redirected a cell from NJ to NYPD. They've also provided phones for city, state and local government officials and to the American Red Cross for use in recovery efforts.
GE has pledged $10 million to a fund that will assist the families of the firefighters, police officers and emergency rescue personnel who perished while responding to the attack on the World Trade Center. [from www.ge.com]
AT&T has donated [www.att.com] $1M to American Red Cross and $10M in prepaid calling cards.
Verizon has offered [newscenter.verizon.com] free local calling to and from payphones on Manhattan streets.
I'm sure there are many more. As I look at Amazon's donation center, it looks like it's going up at about $4000/min.
This makes me proud to be an American.
... that's all i wrote...
Not entirely on topic, but I just heard a brief report on ABC that already there are already spammers soliciting bogus donations for WTC relief. Pretty bloody disgusting...anyone who would stoop so low is in serious need of a buckshot enema.
You're using her as bait, Master!
Red Cross Disaster Services only deals with new items and money, and new items are generally donated in bulk from manufacturers or retailers. Even there items are generally things that are needed for immediate care - sweatsuits, blankets, toiletries. The main exception to this is cleanup kits, which generally consist of a mop and cleaning supplies.
The preferred way to distribute assistance is money (in a way) when possible, particularly for major disasters. By providing Disbursement Orders (DOs) that local merchants have agreed to accept, the Red Cross is able to get money flowing back through affected areas. For the merchants, the DO is treated pretty much like a check, except they send it to the Red Cross instead of depositing it at their bank.
In general, Disaster Services is geared to provide support only during the disaster itself (Mass Care/shelters) and for a few days afterward while people get back on their feet (Family Services). In addition, it regularly provides other services such as canteening for disaster workers and others affected.
I suspect that the need for computers is so they can get more people set up for access to some of the existing systems they have for dealing with disasters. A lot of the software is client-server and even terminal-based, but without enough computers for the staff to use it doesn't do much good.
fencepost
just a little off
Will armed officers be put on flights?
Yes, FAA Federal Air Marshals who are armed and trained in the use of firearms on board aircraft will be flying anonymously. Federal Air Marshals are FAA civil aviation security specialists who are specially trained for deployment on anti-hijacking missions. The FAA will not reveal the number or identities of the marshals. The DOT is working with the Department of Defense to see if other highly trained agents may be deployed to augment the Federal Air Marshal force.
As seen on the FAA's website http://www.faa.gov/apa/faq/pr_faq.htm
The easiest way to get this network going? I'd go with DCHP and set up a firewall. Once you get those, the PC's should all automatically connect.
Then a quick file and print server. Get SQL Server going, and load your database(I am assumming the clients are using Access).
A couple of other suggestions. Forget Exchange if all you need is email. Install SLMail instead. If you really want to get this done quickly, use a ghost program like Symantec's. Put everything you need on the first computer, set up the DHCP client and ODBC connection, then let it replicate across the network. Each user can set up his/her own email address with a copied set of instructions.
This could be done in four hours or less by a few good MS-techs.
No, Thursday's out. How about never - is never good for you?
There is a database up at http://www.srcdst.com where offers of technical help, space and equipment can be registered. This one is really intended to keep the Internet running around all of the problems its now seeing with power etc, but its all part of the same effort.
Enjoy Y2K? Roll-on Year 2037!
Just an update to my short post yesterday
Yesterday about 1,000 phones were sent to both the washington DC and NYC areas. (this is a pretty big deal since customer care workers activated all these by hand).
Last night we batch activated and programmed an additoinal 850 handsets (in about 25 minutes). These phones should be distributed today.
And to clarify...I don't work for Sprint PCS...but rather a Cincinnati based company called Convergys. Sprint is one of our clients.
I hope that these phones will be helpfull to all who need them.