Louisiana Flood Relief: IEEE-USA MOVE Team to the Rescue Again

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IEEE Volunteer Tim Forrester

After helping to transport 1.5 tons of equipment from FedEx to the Red Cross Headquarters, the MOVE team, once again (as they did last month in West Virginia), assisted the Red Cross by enabling critical communications infrastructure support/access.

The shelter for victims at North Corbin Junior High School is one of the major Red Cross shelters in the area. The principal of the school said that several teachers and many of the students were affected by the flooding. Many of them are in this facility, and many more are going to be transferred to this shelter from other shelters that are closing soon (several bus loads are coming today).

Cell phone coverage is poor, and the school’s internet is spotty at best. The Red Cross Staff need to talk with other nearby shelters and facilities. They also need computer and printer capability.

IEEE-USA MOVE team to the rescue! Using some of Red Cross’ technology (switch and access point, for you techies), IEEE volunteers were able to use the MOVE truck’s satellite to access the internet, then set up a WiFi hot spot for the Red Cross Equipment inside the shelter.

The photos in this post show how the team tested the school’s Internet capability, determined what was needed to set up the satellite/wireless capability, and how happy the Red Cross Staff is with computer access! The IEEE team will come to this site over the next few days to provide daily internet access, set up IP phones, a printer, and more laptops.