American Red Cross shelters across the region affected by Hurricane Ian can now offer electronic access to recovery information 24/7.
Stand-up kiosks with touch pads and iPad brains are pre-loaded with links to a wide range of Red Cross services and resources as well as links to FEMA, local utilities, county resources, insurance companies and even transportation.
Nancy Franceschi, manager of the Hertz Arena shelter in Estero, Fla., is happy to have the kiosks available. “These have been so helpful, giving people access to information that they may otherwise not be able to get to,” she said.
Anngie Johnson, who has been managing shelter resident transitions for the disaster response in Florida, asked the disaster technology workers to include links to items most needed by people who lost their housing and belongings, including ways to replace identification and to verify addresses. “I’m excited about what it could do to help a client,” she said.
For example, “Part of your plan may be to get a bus, so you get on there and you can (find out), ‘A bus ticket to this location costs this much money,’” Johnson said. “It’s like going online at home. It’s a one-stop shop for whatever you need,” and particularly valuable for clients without phones. “It’s a resource to get whatever you need quickly.”
Rick Cunningham, a technology volunteer from the Greater Kansas City chapter, said the idea for the kiosks came from the top of the organization. “It was an initiative from the vice president of disaster operations, Brad Kieserman,” he said. “It was his idea, and this is the third time that I’ve been involved in deploying them.”
The kiosks were first used after Hurricane Ida last year; they were set up twice since, in Kentucky – once for people displaced by tornadoes and later for those affected by floods.
Lori Shader-Patterson, manager of the Red Cross shelter in North Collier, sees clients using them. “They can check whether they can make an initial FEMA application, check the status of FEMA applications and check the status of Red Cross (shelter transition) stuff.”
Event-based volunteers help at the kiosks, guiding users who are unfamiliar with technology or perhaps speak a language other than English.
David Schindler, an 18-year volunteer from Ohio who helped set up tow kiosks in each shelter, said the links are designed to help clients work on their recovery plans. “It’s not a replacement for a shelter transition worker, but it would be a resource for the client.”
“It’s available 24/7 because (Red Cross) shelter resident transition people have to leave at the end of their day, and this thing is still there all night long,” Cunningham said.
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Written by Betty Adams, American Red Cross Public Affairs