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It Takes Years To Fully Recover From Big Storms Like Sandy

By Jack L. Harris | July 24, 2019

The 2012 hurricane widely known as Superstorm Sandy left at least an estimated 325,000 New Jersey homes damaged or destroyed. Nearly seven years later, many of the New Jersey residents who have not fully recovered have to fend for themselves. The government funding has mostly dried up. Only two nonprofits that help survivors remain engaged...While researching the recovery efforts after Sandy, I have found that up to a third of the 2.5 million people who live in Keansburg, Belmar, Toms River and other places along the New Jersey coastline and back bays struck by the storm had not fully recovered from this disaster by October 2017 - five years later. Today, almost seven years after the storm, a lack of data and the patchwork of assistance programs make it difficult to fully assess what remains to be done.

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Kenya Pushes Technology Into Overdrive

Staff Writer | Sierra Express Media | April 23, 2013

The country that gave the world two groundbreaking innovations in technology: M-Pesa, a mobile banking system, and Ushahidi, a platform for crowdsourcing information during disasters, is now taking its technological talents to new heights. The East African nation of Kenya has just started construction on a 5,000-acres piece of land in Konza... Read More »

Kenya's Ushahidi Brings Tech Help Where It's Needed Most

Arik Hesseldahl | Tech Investor News | April 16, 2013

“If it works in Africa it will work anywhere.” It’s something occasionally said about the mobile market on the continent. It’s something that Juliana Rotich has lived as the head of Ushahidi, a non-profit tech organization born during the chaos of post-election violence in Kenya... Read More »

Leveraging Artificial Intelligence in Search and Rescue Operations

Press Release | Perdue University | May 1, 2019

Rescue teams descended on the destruction left by Hurricane Michael in October, frantically searching for survivors. But a week later, more than 1,000 people were still not accounted for, leaving families to wait and hope.Drone assistance in natural disaster response now is simplistic at best with a number of hurdles. But new research led by Purdue University professors is working to use artificial intelligence and learning algorithms to create a platform allowing multiple drones to communicate and adapt as mission factors change.

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Making Personal Health Data Available During an Emergency

By Lee Stevens | March 26, 2017

If you or your family were injured during a disaster like a hurricane, earthquake or forest fire, wouldn’t you want your health data to be available to first responders and others who are there to provide care? We thought you might, and we are partnering with the State of California to pilot just such a project. Working at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), we have had the opportunity to leverage investments in health information technology to spur innovation in public health and preparedness...

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Mission Essential Solutions

Mission Essential Solutions, LLC (MES), founded in 2013, offers technical solutions aimed at providing robust mobile capabilities needed for disaster response and recovery operations. James Murphy, President and Owner of the company, is a former Marine helicopter pilot with extensive experience in disaster relief operations, flying humanitarian missions in Puerto Rico and Sierra Leone, and supporting relief operations on the ground following an earthquake and a super typhoon in the Philippines. Before retiring from the Marines in 2012, Mr. Murphy worked at the White House Military Office where he worked in disaster and emergency planning for the President of the United States and the Executive Branch Departments and Agencies.

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Mobile Medical Clinic Arrives To Houston To Help with Disaster Response

Press Release | Stephen F. Austin Community Health Center | September 3, 2017

Stephen F. Austin Community Health Center (SFACHC) is responding to the urgent need for medical help in Brazoria and Galveston communities with the help of Clinica Sierra Vista, a community health center in California. Clinica Sierra Vista is sending a fully equipped medical and dental mobile unit to assist SFACHC care for the displaced residents along the Texas coast where catastrophic Hurricane Harvey flooded homes and vehicles and is preventing the sick and vulnerable from accessing necessary primary care. Read More »

Moving Counter-Clockwise: Lessons from Hurricanes, Floods and Earthquakes

By Karen Gross | September 27, 2017

The plethora of natural disasters raises all sorts of complicated but expected issues – from discussions of the legitimacy of global warming to the adequacy (or lack thereof) of on the ground relief efforts. One would have thought that post-Katrina, we would be ready, willing and able to provide immediate relief to those in need of disaster relief...despite capacities, we have been stunningly slow in moving these new services into disaster areas. Instead of technology advancing the ball, it is as if we are moving our clocks backwards. Sure, in the absence of cell towers, creative workarounds have been enabled like ATT&T facilitating communications to/from the mainland for its customers.

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National Biodefense Strategy: Protecting the Nation Against all Biological Threats

By Robert Kadlec, M.D. | September 18, 2018

Today, the White House and four federal departments unveiled a comprehensive National Biodefense Strategy to make America safer against modern biological threats to the United States. In the 21st century, biological threats are increasingly complex and dangerous, and that demands that we act with urgency and singular effort to save lives and protect Americans. Whether a natural outbreak, an accidental release, or a deliberate attack, biological threats are among the most serious we face, with the potential for significant health, economic and national security impacts. Therefore, promoting our health security is a national security imperative.

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National Science Foundation Creates $3M CONVERGE Center to Augment Natural Hazards Research

Press Release | Converge, NHERI, NSF | November 14, 2018

To enhance the diversity of research underway in natural hazards, the National Science Foundation recently created CONVERGE, a $3 million research center at the University of Colorado Boulder. The center is a resource for the 11-member, NSF-funded Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure, known as NHERI. One of the NSF 10 Big Ideas, "convergence" describes the merging of scientific disciplines in a coordinated, reciprocal way that fosters the robust collaborations needed for successful inquiry. For NSF, convergence research is driven by a compelling problem that can be solved by deep integration between disciplines.

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Natural Disasters Become Battlegrounds In Spectrum Fight

Josh Smith | Nextgov | October 31, 2012

While the government seeks to parcel out valuable spectrum to new technologies, TV and radio stations point to disasters like Sandy as proof that broadcasters are as important as ever. Read More »

New York’s Ongoing Blackout: Hospitals In Lower Manhattan

Charles Ornstein | ProPublica | November 8, 2012

Long after power is restored from Sandy, the effect of another more-precarious outage is still taking shape: Some of the largest hospitals in lower Manhattan remain shuttered. Other hospitals are scrambling to fill the gap, and concern is rising that the patchwork system can't last for long. Read More »

News Participation Starts At ‘Home’

Trevor Knoblich | FrontlineSMS | November 16, 2012

Seemingly every major news event worldwide is heightening participation in news. People are eager to share updates and photos of an unfolding news event, ask questions of media outlets, and share important information. But there are two important aspects to this type of participation [...]. In other words, people write about their immediate world using their ‘home’ or go-to platform. Read More »

Online Tools To Use To Track Hurricane Sandy's Power

Ian Paul | TechHive | October 29, 2012

Hurricane Sandy is proving to be a storm not to be trifled with. If you need to stay abreast of the latest developments, there are plenty of useful resources you can find online. Read More »

Open Health IT Company Receives Investment to Drive Interoperability and Disaster Response

Press Release | Audacious Inquiry (Ai) | January 18, 2018

Audacious Inquiry (Ai), a health information technology (IT) and policy company that delivers bold solutions for connected healthcare, announced today it had received an investment from ABS Capital Partners, a leading late-stage growth company investor. The funding will be used to enhance solution offerings, as well as expand the company's geographic footprint. "Ai seeks to meet the pressing need for connected care across the country, through complementary advisory, systems integration, and software solutions," said Chris Brandt, Managing Partner of Ai. "We look forward to our partnership with ABS Capital as we work to accelerate interoperability across the country to enable better communication, coordination, and care."

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