Technology for All is a very respected community computer and networking program in Houston. Houston, as you know, is the destination for a huge number of low-income hurricane refugees being evacuated from New Orleans. A few hours ago I got this email from TFA director Will Reed, who some of you met when he was in Cleveland for the CTCNet conference in June:
Technology For All (TFA) is working with its community and corporate partners to set up a Community Technology Center (CTC) at Houston's Astrodome, which will soon be home for 25,000 evacuees from the New Orleans Superdome. We are pleased to have the opportunity to help in this way and have made an initial commitment to install a 40 station CTC. We expect we will need to expand that, but want to move quickly with what we can do and then assess the additional need. TFA also anticipates working with public leaders and officials to assist in the deployment of a Wireless Mesh Network in the Astrodome. Those details are under discussion. Pam Gardner (Pam.Gardner@techforall.org 713.454.6415) on our staff is coordinating volunteer efforts to set up the CTC and then provide programming assistance. TFA will need additional computers (Pentium 4 or faster), software, volunteers, $'s and organizational capacity to pull this off. Thanks in advance for your assistance. As more details are worked out we will pass them along.I'm posting this in the hope that readers -- from northeast Ohio or wherever you are -- can find a way to help with this effort. To start with, TFA has a credit card donation page on its website -- if you haven't maxed out, and are looking for a way to help flood victims get reconnected to the world, please consider sending them something. (I suggest writing something in the comment box like "For the Astrodome computer center -- good luck from Cleveland", just to let them know they've got friends up here.)
Will
Also, if you have colleagues, co-workers, a branch office, etc. in Texas or nearby (i.e. near enough to help with a hardware donation or some volunteer time), please pass this along to them.
Think about being one of 25,000 bereft people stuck in a stadium for days or weeks with nothing to do and no Internet access. Really, don't you think you'd want someone to do this for you? Let's see if the northeast Ohio blogosphere can help TFA get it done!
Update 1: Here's more from the Miami Herald (free registration required).
Update 2: This morning's situation in Houston, and expanded plans for getting computer access for flood refugees, at Technology For All's blog.