Save Muni Wireless

Texas Community Networks support Katrina Relief

Volunteers from the Texas community and municipal network community have been helping to organize communications for hurricane evacuees.

Technology For All is a non-profit that provides wireless networks to help bridge the digital divide in partnership with the city of Houston and Rice University. TechForAll worked with its community and corporate partners to set up a Community Technology Center at Houston's Astrodome. The technology center set up its public access WIFI to help evacuees reconnect with missing friends and family.

The team at the Northeast Texas Wireless initiative coordinates public-private partnerships to link towns in Northeast Texas and North Louisiana. The NETWI team provided a wireless workstation to connect evacuees in Atlanta, Texas.

The NETWI team also worked with Kenny Bain of Fastline Internet, a wireless ISP, and Glen Thompson, a volunteer from Colorado who drove down to help set up internet access stations at shelters. In this picture, Glen, Dave from N.E.T.W.I. and Kenny Bain with Fastline Internet are setting up a 'node' at Town Hall in Vivian, Louisiana.

In Austin, the City of Austin worked with Austin Freenet to organize computer stations and help connect evacuees with missing relatives and assistance. Chip Rosenthal of SaveMuniWireless was part of the team helping coordinate technology for the relief efforts.

More stories about community wireless support for the relief efforts in Louisiana can be found here