Posted on 09/04/2005 5:17:28 PM PDT by MississippiMan
First, apologies for classifying this as breaking news; it's not news in the conventional sense, but I hope you'll agree it is worthy of the extra attention that the breaking-news classification affords.
I belong to an organization called HTCIA (High Technology Crime Investigation Association), which is, as the name implies, an organization that deals with high tech crime and related issues. Our membership comprises both law enforcement personnel and a variety of private sector practitioners.
At the HTCIA International level, an effort has been launched to acquire and deliver computer equipment and other goods that can be of service in the Katrina Zone. Some of the equipment will be available, for example, to small business owners who lost their equipment, and we're also putting together a consortium of free services, most notably data recovery to try to help people get critical data back.
The equipment and services can also be channeled to relief organizations who need technology to help manage their efforts. I've been asked to serve as Mississippi coordinator for the HTCIA's relief program. For a variety of reasons not worth going into, this is an incredibly bad time for me personally to accept such responsibility, but I do want to help and am going to do all I possibly can.
One HUGE challenge exists: Anytime a situation like this occurs, there are countless slimes who will eagerly take advantage of others' misery. To avoid that, and to see that the donated goods and services actually go to people in need, be they actual victims or those rendering aid to victims, I need someone who is "plugged in" to the Mississippi relief effort. Someone who can identify and verify legitimate points of need, and then pass these needs on to me so we can get the ball rolling and get the equipment and/or services rolling.
If you fit the bill and can help in this effort, please Freepmail me.
Thanks so much...
MM
Bump!
Bttt
Mississippi ping!
I am in and out today, and can't stay,
but can any of you fine folks help out MM?
Contact the SBA or maybe Chamber of Commerce? Good luck.
ping and bump
Need any equipment specifically?
New Orleans Chamber-Commerce
1515 Poydras St
New Orleans, LA 70112
Tel. 504.522.7226
Fax 504.522.1355
Email: info@neworleanschamber.org
Chamber of Commerce Mississippi Gulf Coast: Biloxi
(228) 374-2717
(228) 374-2764 (Fax)
1048 Beach Blvd
Biloxi, MS 39530
http://www.biloxi.org/
Biloxi Bay Chamber of Commerce
(228) 435-6149
693 Beach Blvd
Biloxi, MS 39530
Biloxi Bay Chamber of Commerce
P.O. Box 889
Biloxi, MS 39533
228-435-6149
Email: bilbaych@telesouth1.com
Lucy Denton, Exec. Dir.
BTTT!!
This is a wonderful, MM. I hope you find the right person...
You Hoo, bourbon.
Kewl, good luck
It that supposed to be a joke, or are you unaware that New Orleans has recently undergone a disaster which has knocked out almost all of the land lines in the 504 area code, and has resulted in the evacuation of anyone who would have been answering the telephones anyway. The CoC website is up, but hasn't been updated since the storm.
This link just went live.
Maybe help can be found here:
http://www.americanslink.com
And I am supposed to know that the Chamber of Commerce was one of those? If you have a better solution, be my guest.
At this point, most of the organizations are trying to get back on their feet in temporary settings without their own computer systems, but I'll FREEPMail the original poster with a suggestion.
Thank you!
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