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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.
Has FEMA updated their site to be accesible through non-IE browsers?
It's a perfect time for being wasted.
A perfect time to watch the stars.
- Burden Brothers, "Beautiful Night"
Like all Ars Technica articles, the full article is viewable on the website for free, and paid members can download it in a PDF form.
I may be heading down to Biloxi Mississippi in the next few weeks to help coordinate the computers in a relief office and offer my repair/recovery skills. One of my most important tools down there will be LiveCD/USBs of Slax, Ubuntu, etc. It will allow for some recovery but mostly establishing a quick network with free software in the wake of many computers being damaged/destroyed by flood.
http://gentoo-wiki.com/HOWTO_build_a_LiveCD_from_s cratch
Check this howto I made for making your own personal livecd from A gentoo install which is highly maintainable.
Free yourself use open source.
http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/ is worth checking out if you haven't had the pleasure already.
Speak truth to power.
If nothing else, I've got a recent (if not latest) version of Knoppix and the latest Ubuntu LiveCD, which pretty much covers most of my needs in a disaster...whether it's an actual need for a bootable machine for internet access and word processing...or actually getting information out of a HDD when the underlying OS got borked one way or another.
The article goes on to feature the other quickfix distros including DamnSmallLinux and the LTSP to get a bunch of networked PCs up and running quickly.
In a disaster, I must say that content filtering (and possibly time management) aren't my priorities but I guess to keep some sense and order on things, they're needed. However, something to boot with, something to get networking with, something to type something with, and something to save information to would make up my computing needs when some disaster hits.
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.
The wiki articles on how to do this with Gentoo haven't been updated in well over a year. A large amount of the information is no longer valid. I actively work on development of a Forensic and Network Analysis Live CD based off of Gentoo. For the best advise on how to really get going with this, look into Catalyst and make sure you emerge it with the documentation. It will walk you through the basics. If anyone wants a link to my development page drop me an e-mail and I'll be happy to point the way. I'd simply post it but I doubt the server would take the beating very well.
e-mail: paul.kessler@gmail.com
Slax 5.0.6 KillBill will run Internet Explorer 4.0, and might run later versions as well, under wine. You can use this to access the FEMA application for benefits on the web without having to run Windows itself, and Slax runs well on older machines (runs acceptably on my Pentium-II with 128mb ram). In addition, it fits on an easily pocketable 210mb minidisk.
Using plain ol' text since 1968
A USB memory stick is really useful if you want to make servers run on unknown-condition hardware, and a USB hard drive can give you more space and power if you want to haul that around. Somebody else mentioned having various USB tools so you can download from digital cameras and other random devices.
If you've got a mapping program that you can fit onto your CDs, that can be really helpful also, in case people don't have the bandwidth to get to Google/Yahoo/Mapquest. I don't know of any that run on Linux (I've got some old ones that run on Windows, and on Linux machines I just use Google), but I assume there are some out there that can read Tiger data.
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
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
It's not true that the article is partially paid-only. None of Ars Technica's content is paid only, either partially or wholly. You can pay for a PDF of it, but you get the HTML content for free.
Senior CPU Editor | Ars Technica | http://arstechnica.com/
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've been working with my local Red Cross (in Canada) to create just such a disk. We tentatively named it "RedCrossix" and it is based on Knoppix 3.6.
There were a couple of key goals when we created it:
-Needs to be able to boot from CD OR install to HD.
-Must be secure (unable to read/write hard disk) of borrowed PC, unless you do install.
-Very simplified desktop and menu structure in KDE. Web Browser / Email / Word processor / Games.
-Needs to auto-detect hardware (thanks Knoppix team for this..)
-Customization (red-cross wallpaper, splash screens, etc).
It's actually pretty simple to take Knoppix and do this. If anyone's interested, reply and I'll post my notes later tonght when I get home (after 11pm MST - North American Time).
In the discussion section, some people have argued that net connectivity is less important than food and shelter. This is true. However, the web site was the only way for most people to get registered with FEMA. As this is one of the most important tasks, once basic needs are met, network connections should not be under estimated. A good word should also be given to Yahoo, for providing free e-mail accounts. Last time I used this system (ages ago), they required a referring e-mail address. They no longer require this. This was crucial, as FEMA require an e-mail address to complete the registration process. That being said, it is a shame that FEMA (known in these parts as 'The Finally, Eventually Made-it Agency) has otherwise been so damn useless.
There was another lab where people could have more general net access. There many people seemed to find a huge sense of relief in being able to see their houses on google, even when the houses were under water. One older man I helped was totally blown away at the idea of seeing the Ninth ward of N.O from space. He wept when he saw that his house still had a roof, and then started making jokes about how the fishing would be good from his porch! For a person who has lost everything, anything that can bring a bit of joy is very valuable indeed.
Another point needs to be raised in the context of this liveCD discussion. This is the fact that on many older machines (I know this, as I have alot of practice with these), the CD drive is one of the first things to fry. This is a problem.
One final point, in the article, there is a discussion of the role of M$ in the disaster relief in this State. The current 'official' State operating system is Win2k. So, they will have been especially motivated to assist a good customer. However, from time to time we hear rumours that the State is going to make M$ software mandatory (I work for a State of Louisiana institution). Fortunately, this hasn't happened yet.
Just my 2 cents.
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.
Given the hardest hit areas with no electricity or telecom services to speak of, amateur radio deserves the credit for getting communications in and out of the area first. The internet came into play in the outlying areas or areas that had some facilities restored. Amateur radio operators train to handle emergency and welfare traffic using alternative power sources so they aren't dependent on whenever electricity is brought back.
Where does the school board find them and why do they keep sending them to ME?
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.