TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
On 8/30/05, Jerry Muelver <jerry -at- hytext -dot- com> wrote:
> Does anyone know of a clearinghouse for tech comm support for disaster
> relief for Katrina? I suspect there is going to be a need for buisness
> data-flow reconstruction, user and instruction manuals for relief and
> reconstruction volunteers, and the like, that could use tech comm skills. Is
> there some kind of plug-in channel for this in existing disaster relief
> programs?
Jerry,
Existing relief agencies have well-established processes and
procedures already in place, although the nature of the work demands a
great deal of on-the-spot improvisation on the ground. So does FEMA
(check out their website for guidelines on disaster recovery and
business continuity planning sometime.)
My suggestion is that the best contribution you can make immediately
would be money, to (e.g.) the American Red Cross; if you want to
contribute expertise, look for a process-intensive function managed by
a voluntary organization and introduce yourself to them, but that's
very much a long-term project. Short-term need right now is cash.
Example of possible long-term contribution:
Whatever your feelings on the Southern Baptist Convention, for
instance, their teams of mobile emergency feeding kitchens are widely
acknowledged to be among the best on the planet at what they do; they
are already in place helping the victims of Katrina, and pretty much
show up within 24 hours of any significant disaster, as reliably as
sunrise. They have pretty much (literally) written the book on how to
do this. (They were in New York City within a few hours of the attack
on 9/11, feeding rescue workers.)
Think about the logistics of that.
Such an organization might well welcome the offer of free assistance
in optimizing, maintaining and updating their written procedures.
Now Shipping -- WebWorks ePublisher Pro for Word! Easily create online
Help. And online anything else. Redesigned interface with a new
project-based workflow. Try it today! http://www.webworks.com/techwr-l
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as:
archiver -at- techwr-l -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Send administrative questions to lisa -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
