Prepping for Ike

[Andy Carvin]

I know it's a little absurd asking this as Hanna is dumping torrential rains on my house, but I wanted to make sure everyone is paying attention to Hurricane Ike. Ike was supposed to head to Miami, but now it looks like it's gonna flank Florida to the left and make a beeline to the Gulf Coast.

The last thing the Gulf Coast needs is a hurricane potentially bigger than Gustav, but we have some time to prep for it. It probably won't affect the Gulf Coast until the end of next week, and we've already built out a number of resources for the region because of Gustav.

So I wanted to create a discussion about what we can do better to improve upon the content we pulled together for Gustav (and Hanna). Is there anything we should do differently for Ike? Anything we should keep exactly the same? Do any of our teams need more volunteers to do their jobs? Do we need new teams to form around certain projects?

I know this has been tiring for all of us, but hopefully the work we've done so far will make it a lot easier to proceed. Thanks again for all of your hard work. -andy

[Earl McGehee]

I have fixed the Evacuation Shelters map to have state links for Texas, Louisiana and Florida to take users to the respective state shelter page. I'll fix the others tomorrow unless someone else on the team fixes it before I get there. The real work is adding map links to the shelter pages. Maybe by tomorrow night we will have a better idea where Ike might hit.

Why didn't I think of this before now?

[Ruth Blakeslee]

쏘무ㅏㄴ
Thanks Earl. I will be working on shelter page. Could you post link to the evacuation pages you are speaking of so I can get the URLs posted to the shelter pages?

Also on a general note of wiki content & organization I can see & agree with early comment that there's unnecessary duplicity going on. I think I should remove any "non-shelter" info & link from shelter pages since there seems to be plenty of links for evacuations, pets, etc. Any comment?

Also am sorry if I am getting too minute or shelter specific here but it seems that the wiki-discussion pages are not being used at the moment and am not sure where folks are communicating right now.

Earl McGehee said:

I have fixed the Evacuation Shelters map to have state links for Texas, Louisiana and Florida to take users to the respective state shelter page. I'll fix the others tomorrow unless someone else on the team fixes it before I get there. The real work is adding map links to the shelter pages. Maybe by tomorrow night we will have a better idea where Ike might hit.

Why didn't I think of this before now?

[Ruth Blakeslee]

Ruth Blakeslee said:

쏘무ㅏㄴ
Thanks Earl. I will be working on shelter page. Could you post link to the evacuation pages you are speaking of so I can get the URLs posted to the shelter pages?

Also on a general note of wiki content & organization I can see & agree with early comment that there's unnecessary duplicity going on. I think I should remove any "non-shelter" info & link from shelter pages since there seems to be plenty of links for evacuations, pets, etc. Any comment?

Also am sorry if I am getting too minute or shelter specific here but it seems that the wiki-discussion pages are not being used at the moment and am not sure where folks are communicating right now.

Earl McGehee said:

I have fixed the Evacuation Shelters map to have state links for Texas, Louisiana and Florida to take users to the respective state shelter page. I'll fix the others tomorrow unless someone else on the team fixes it before I get there. The real work is adding map links to the shelter pages. Maybe by tomorrow night we will have a better idea where Ike might hit.

Why didn't I think of this before now?

[Blogs2c.com]

If you are still looking for a Chatroom, I added a "Room" to the Assist Network chatroom that you can use, if you like.

http://assistdir.com/chatroom.html

Enter your name.

Click "Show Rooms"

Click "Hurricane08"

It also allows voice chatting as well and it generally works very great in text mode. It is java based.

No. we can not add this widget to this site. This is licensed $oftware, but you can add a link to it if you like.

--Brian

Blogs2c.com said:

I think you can now do group chats with Gtalk. But you need a Google login.

http://googletalk.blogspot.com/2007/06/group-chat-for-google-talk-g...

--Brian

B.K. DeLong said:

Agreed....what about an IM Chat room or something Web and Java based? I think logged chat is a good way to go and we could find people to setup such a chat that has a Web interface.

[Andy Carvin]

Let's try using our native Ning chat tool first. I've added it to the right column of the homepage.

ac

Blogs2c.com said:

If you are still looking for a Chatroom, I added a "Room" to the Assist Network chatroom that you can use, if you like.

http://assistdir.com/chatroom.html

Enter your name.

Click "Show Rooms"

Click "Hurricane08"

It also allows voice chatting as well and it generally works very great in text mode. It is java based.

No. we can not add this widget to this site. This is licensed $oftware, but you can add a link to it if you like.

--Brian

Blogs2c.com said:

I think you can now do group chats with Gtalk. But you need a Google login.

http://googletalk.blogspot.com/2007/06/group-chat-for-google-talk-g...

--Brian

B.K. DeLong said:

Agreed....what about an IM Chat room or something Web and Java based? I think logged chat is a good way to go and we could find people to setup such a chat that has a Web interface.

[Blogs2c.com]

Oh, sorry.

I did not see an announcement for that feature.

--Brian


Andy Carvin said:

Let's try using our native Ning chat tool first. I've added it to the right column of the homepage.

ac

Blogs2c.com said:

If you are still looking for a Chatroom, I added a "Room" to the Assist Network chatroom that you can use, if you like.

http://assistdir.com/chatroom.html

Enter your name.

Click "Show Rooms"

Click "Hurricane08"

It also allows voice chatting as well and it generally works very great in text mode. It is java based.

No. we can not add this widget to this site. This is licensed $oftware, but you can add a link to it if you like.

--Brian

Blogs2c.com said:

I think you can now do group chats with Gtalk. But you need a Google login.

http://googletalk.blogspot.com/2007/06/group-chat-for-google-talk-g...

--Brian

B.K. DeLong said:

Agreed....what about an IM Chat room or something Web and Java based? I think logged chat is a good way to go and we could find people to setup such a chat that has a Web interface.

[Earl McGehee]

The Interactive Maps page has links to the maps created by the team, including the shelters map. We had been putting pins on the map for shelters, but that is an overwhelming job and a complete duplication of your shelters pages. We should get more done working together instead of independently. Let me know if you would like the map team to come behind you on the shelter pages and put map links on the addresses. That should give your team more time to find and list shelters.

Now that the categories are setup if we carefully pick categories on each page there should be no reason to have all the cross links.

Part of the problem is we are not working as a team or teams now. Few of us know the others, we don't know who has what skills, and we don't have clear direction or communications. Not a complaint just an observation - this site has come a long way in a short time. I created a discussion page on the Wiki and a mail distribution list for the map team but have had very little interactive discussion there. Mostly just people acting on an idea and then adding it to a page somewhere. If we were not always in the middle of a storm maybe we could have time to work on our processes and structure.

[Jo Wisor]

I just wanted to say this because I feel sort of out of my league and helpless at this point. I joined this group and the Wiki simply because I helped out moving data for the Katrina and Rita People Finder projects and when Gustav started, I found this site and the Wiki thinking I might help out again. I am still willing to help, but am not savvy enough to just dive in. (My day job is as a florist.) This, to me shows that in 3 years time, it's really better in many ways and perhaps someone like me won't be needed.

Don't get me wrong, I am still willing to help, but not without direction, I don't want to make it worse for all of you. I know you all are working so hard and you know what you are doing so I am just sitting here and checking in case something comes up that I can do. I'm surely not complaining. It's great that we have not gotten to a point where someone with my limited knowledge is needed and hopefully it won't be needed.

But as Ike approaches and perhaps there are others like me that are sitting on the sidelines waiting, just in case... this is why I am saying this. And if, and only If there are things that someone with limited computer knowledge can do. Know that I am here and there are probably others like me watching this forum and the Wiki. I've not said anything until now also because I knew that all were building the framework and you didn't need bothered.

My point, because this is getting long winded is, if there is anything that I or others can do and that does not involve tons of (like training a new employee) time for you, let me/us know.

I want to help all of you if need be, but not if it means more work than it's worth for you. I hope that makes sense. Heck, if I could come and just cook dinner for you all, I would. ;-) Truly.

I'll shut up now and leave you to do what you do best. Just putting the offer out there.

And ps. If I end up not helping out in some way, I sort of feel bad that my name is on the "contributors" page of the Wiki and I haven't actually helped, not my intent at all. Please feel free (someone) to delete me if I end up not helping. My feelings won't be hurt in the least.

Thank you all for what you are doing and my offer stands.

Jo Wisor

[Ruth Blakeslee]

Jo, It is so nice to have you standing by to help. I am pretty lo-tech too but I think we as a team & project have bigger issues to grapple with and they are (said with kind observation & not criticism):
1-I think we are pretty fragmented & unorganizationed
2-I think we keep getting more "spreadout" (seems we have 2 wikis URLs, ning, chat, e-mail, blogs, hurricane08 threads...but didn't see that any of the posts that I had made to the wiki Main discussion page & Shelter discussion pages were replied to, addressed or "discussed")
3-(as mentioned by others and as brought up on previous hurricane wiki discussions) do we know if our efforts are of value or if people are using? I think if we can design a means of measuring that we can strealine our efforts to most used or valued areas. My best guess from basic observation would be that the Shelter page in Gustav & Katrina wiki were not used at all by evacuees or shelter placers.
I agree & keep proceeding because I think the wiki team can evolve into something of more value.

side note: I think we also need a basic design means also of conveying datestamps or validity of info. For example, all the "who's doing what" is people & projects entered from Gustav but not sure if all players will be/are contributing to Ike.

Hope I didn't sound negative...just wanted to put it out there. You're a great gang!


Jo Wisor said:

I just wanted to say this because I feel sort of out of my league and helpless at this point. I joined this group and the Wiki simply because I helped out moving data for the Katrina and Rita People Finder projects and when Gustav started, I found this site and the Wiki thinking I might help out again. I am still willing to help, but am not savvy enough to just dive in. (My day job is as a florist.) This, to me shows that in 3 years time, it's really better in many ways and perhaps someone like me won't be needed.

Don't get me wrong, I am still willing to help, but not without direction, I don't want to make it worse for all of you. I know you all are working so hard and you know what you are doing so I am just sitting here and checking in case something comes up that I can do. I'm surely not complaining. It's great that we have not gotten to a point where someone with my limited knowledge is needed and hopefully it won't be needed.

But as Ike approaches and perhaps there are others like me that are sitting on the sidelines waiting, just in case... this is why I am saying this. And if, and only If there are things that someone with limited computer knowledge can do. Know that I am here and there are probably others like me watching this forum and the Wiki. I've not said anything until now also because I knew that all were building the framework and you didn't need bothered.

My point, because this is getting long winded is, if there is anything that I or others can do and that does not involve tons of (like training a new employee) time for you, let me/us know.

I want to help all of you if need be, but not if it means more work than it's worth for you. I hope that makes sense. Heck, if I could come and just cook dinner for you all, I would. ;-) Truly.

I'll shut up now and leave you to do what you do best. Just putting the offer out there.

And ps. If I end up not helping out in some way, I sort of feel bad that my name is on the "contributors" page of the Wiki and I haven't actually helped, not my intent at all. Please feel free (someone) to delete me if I end up not helping. My feelings won't be hurt in the least.

Thank you all for what you are doing and my offer stands.

Jo Wisor

[Ruth Blakeslee]

Could someone possible post link & what the name of the discussion group is on ning? I made account & logged on & searched keyword "hurricane" but seems there are many. There is a Hurricanes08 link but it leads back to this site. I'm so confused!

Andy Carvin said:

Let's try using our native Ning chat tool first. I've added it to the right column of the homepage.

ac

Blogs2c.com said:

If you are still looking for a Chatroom, I added a "Room" to the Assist Network chatroom that you can use, if you like.

http://assistdir.com/chatroom.html

Enter your name.

Click "Show Rooms"

Click "Hurricane08"

It also allows voice chatting as well and it generally works very great in text mode. It is java based.

No. we can not add this widget to this site. This is licensed $oftware, but you can add a link to it if you like.

--Brian

Blogs2c.com said:

I think you can now do group chats with Gtalk. But you need a Google login.

http://googletalk.blogspot.com/2007/06/group-chat-for-google-talk-g...

--Brian

B.K. DeLong said:

Agreed....what about an IM Chat room or something Web and Java based? I think logged chat is a good way to go and we could find people to setup such a chat that has a Web interface.

[Red Cross Claire]

Hi Guys,

Looks like Ike is going to make landfall on Saturday somewhere on the Texas coast-- probably near Corpus Christi. The Red Cross has a blog compiling information on our response. You'll find photos, videos, audio, and press releases. Our audience is the media, but thought some of you might be interested too.

Check it out:
http://www.redcross.org/hurricaneIke

[Ben Tremblay]

Red Cross Claire said:

Looks like Ike is going to make landfall on Saturday somewhere on the Texas coast-- probably near Corpus Christi. [...]

Here's a snipped of text from NHC "Forecast Discussion" today (#38):

USERS ARE REMINDED THAT THE AVERAGE THREE DAY FORECAST ERROR IS NEARLY 200 MILES.

Ike is now moving at only 8 MPH, so there should be lots of warning.