<p> An hour long, multimedia presentation examining the past, present, and future roles that digital and wireless technology can play on the ground during natural and manmade disasters. This discussion will examine why government (FEMA and the National Guard) and big relief organizations (Red Cross and Salvation Army) have gotten the basic premises of disaster relief wrong, using Katrina and 9/11 as examples. Ingenious, informal technological innovations emerging during disasters that promoted effective self-organized relief efforts will be focused upon. The panel will also look at how the hacker communities can create novel and powerfully effective technologies to aid people, and support grassroots self-organizing during disasters. </p>
<p> <strong> Dennison Williams </strong> is a member of the Hackbloc and March Hare collectives, lead developer of the Tapatio project, and thinks skunks are way cuter then raccoons. </p>
<p> <strong> Elena </strong> is a cofounder of the Aftershock Action Alliance and a professional urban planner. She did relief work in New Orleans for Common Ground after Katrina. </p>
<p><strong>Smokey, </strong>cofounder of the Aftershock Action Alliance, organized the first Emergence Broadcast System and was recently arrested and had his home raided by the Joint Terrorism Task Force for working with the Tin Can Communications Collective during the G-20 protests in Pittsburgh. He also presented at HOPE a few years back with the People’s Law Collective about PATRIOT Act and Emerging Technologies.</p>