Slashdot Mirror
Creating Live Linux Distributions For Disasters
phaedo00 writes "The folks over at Ars Technica have an article up about Hannibal's experience volunteering in relief efforts and how a custom built Linux distribution can help people solve social and disaster related problems without costing an arm and a leg. From the article: 'I spent the two weeks after Katrina struck working with volunteers in Lake Charles, Louisiana and across the Internet to build, maintain, and upgrade such labs in two of southwest Louisiana's largest Red Cross shelters. The present article is a short introduction to one of the most important categories of tools to emerge from the efforts of myself and others to meet the shelters' need for free, zero-maintenance, bulletproof, Internet-connected computers: the shelter lab LiveCD build.'" Article partially paid-only.
No, which is why a Windows LiveCD option is included.
If the phones/broadband are down, how do people re-install legal copies of software? Laptops and even PCs can run on emergency power, but without internet, the users can't recover if they must re-install software.
Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do.
There seems to be a misconception that this project has something do with OS wars. It doesn't. There is a perfectly good Windows option provided on page 3 of the article. Of course any Windows option requires the requisite licensing, but that dooes not preclude someone from using a Windows LiveCD. Don't turn our relief efforts into a pissing match. It's not appropriate and completely irrelevant.
Universal internet for hurricane victims comes dead last on my list. These people were knocked back to the 1800s. Let bring them back to indoor plumbing before we go all crazy with teh intarweb.
Access to information enables rescue workers and survivors to work efficiently to bring back necessary services as quickly as possible. Access to emergency databases (like FEMA's) allows families to find each other (Can you imagine losing your children in a flood and not knowing if they're dead or alive? I'd forgo food, shelter, and sleep until I found my daughter.) and for survivors to possibly find paying jobs if their old job no longer exists. Don't just assume that the rescue workers are just trying to entertain the survivors with online porn, solitaire, and Fark.com.
Also, you'll note that these labs are all set up at the shelters which implies that at least the roof and the food are already taken care of.
"Tell me doctor, with all of your defenses, are there any provisions for an attack by killer bees?"
This is a great example of the failure of single source solutions, specifically FEMA's IE6 only site. Sure it is easy to maintain a single source solution and it can help to keep costs down. Unfortunately, in this case it failed to be open enough to provide help to the people it was designed to help nor did it support the people it was created to support. In a disaster you will be lucky to get anything in the way of hardware, software and support, so the environment to support the disaster teams needs to be very very forgiving. Too bad it wasn't.
"Can there be a Klein bottle that is an efficient and effective beer pitcher?"
During Hurricane Katrina, the Internet proved its value during disasters and disaster recovery. It was available when the TV and radio stations were flooded out or blacked out.
During the initial recovery, instead of having to fill out reams of paper, people were able to electonically submit their information over the Internet.
Instead of overloading the Post Office with "Where are you?" notes and "Here I am!" responses, people were able to use the Internet to send E-mail.
Face it, people - the Internet did what it was supposed to do: stay connected even during emergencies. We've gotten used to it, our non-immediate disaster relief efforts now expects Internet access, and we made use of it when the usual media failed.
So, posters who ask, "Well, what do they need Internet access for at a shelter?" - I offer my answer.
Strike while the irony is hot! -- The Freethinker
These people were knocked back to the 1800s. Let bring them back to indoor plumbing before we go all crazy with teh intarweb.
So what if they're in the 1800's? If we use 21st-century technological solutions, do we violate the Prime Directive or something?
As someone else has already pointed out, this would be going on at shelters where food and water are already available. I don't think anyone would suggest that people who are trying to get out of a flooding house would be trying to lug a laptop with them.
However, for information... well, I remembered that during Hurricane Katrina, either the floods or the power failures took out the local TV and radio transmitters (to say nothing of the receivers). At the shelters, the internet would be (and was!) available to get information in and out.
Strike while the irony is hot! -- The Freethinker
I'm sure you need computers to organize a relief effort but do you _really_ need a custom live Linux distribution that isn't ready until two weeks after the event? Hardly. This guy would have been better off going down there and shovelling dirt off the streets like the rest of the people actually trying to help.
Technology doesn't help that much in situations like this despite what you migh like to think. If I had a choice between a glass of clean water and an Internet connected PC I know what I would choose any day of the week.
When push comes to shove people seem to do pretty damn well at coordinating and communicating by just talking to each other. Amazingly, this doesn't require computers at all.
Give the guy in the article a pat on the head for trying to help then get on with actually helping people.
I used to have a better sig but it broke.
A few posts here seem to miss the importance of internet access in disaster recovery. The only way we could apply for FEMA aid was through the website(which crashed every other time we logged on). The phone lines(which mostly never went down) were clogged for weeks and probably still are.
Getting in touch with friends and family, receiving information on the extent of the disaster and applying for aid make access essential.
The Red Cross IT folks are really, really picky about what is used on their networks and what is used in their name. The Red Cross has a procedure in place to bring internet connectivity to a shelter, HQ or service center and it doesn't include linux. I spent three weeks as a "RTT" member in the Gulf Coast, they use Windows for everything and either bring in a T1 or use in-house VSAT equipment (either an ECRV or a fly-away kit) for network connectivity.
While FEMA website access works great, the ARC proxy server blocks out all webmail access. Nothing like thousands of volunteers and clients being unable to ping family about how they're doing.
And an off-topic note - the ARC is doing some amazing innovation in the field of emergency IT.