Location-Specific Katrina Information Reported on Google Map – They Knew What to Expect

Using Google’s map technology two software engineers have created a map website http://www.scipionus.com/ that people affected by Hurricane Katrina are using to provide information about what is happening where they are.

This map is intended for the use of people affected by Hurricane Katrina who have or are trying to find information about the status of specific locations affected by the storm and its aftermath. If you have information about the status of an area that is not yet on the map, please contribute by following the instructions below so that others may get that much needed information.

To find information about a specific area click on a marker on the map.

Google is Everywhere http://www.forbes.com/2005/09/02/hurricane-google-map-rescue-cx_de_0902google.html

Shawn McBride posted directions on her website that describe how to use Google Earth to determine flood damage in New Orleans. Entitled: How to Find Out if Your New Orleans House Is Under Water http://www.kathryncramer.com/kathryn_cramer/2005/09/how_to_find_out.html

http://www.govtech.net/news/news.php?id=96527

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A Disaster Map ‘Wiki’ Is Born

By Ryan Singel |

Of all of the websites tracking the Katrina disaster, surely one of the most remarkable is Scipionus.com.

Visitors swoop down over a map of the Gulf Coast that’s awash in hundreds of red teardrops, each denoting information about specific geographical points in the area. That’s pretty amazing in itself, but there’s more: All of the information on the map has been provided by ordinary citizens, most of whom presumably have come to the site in search of information on the flood themselves.

Full Story: http://wired.com/news/hurricane/0,2904,68743,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_1

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They Knew What to Expect

Virtually everything that has happened in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina struck was predicted by experts and in computer models, so emergency management specialists wonder why authorities were so unprepared.

"The scenario of a major hurricane hitting New Orleans was well anticipated, predicted and drilled around," said Clare Rubin, an emergency management consultant who also teaches at the Institute for Crisis, Disaster and Risk Management at George Washington University.

Full Discussion: http://wired.com/news/planet/0,2782,68738,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_4