Although this article is bit in the past, I think it's worth sharing to learn about. During a natural disaster, the effected areas infrastructure is uprooted making rescue efforts difficult and sometimes near impossible. The recent hurricanes Harvey and Irma devastated Houston, Florida, and Puerto Rico. First responders found themselves overwhelmed, under staffed, and under resourced. This lead the startup community in Houston to connect, volunteer, and create over 20 different apps and information hubs for Harvey relief. Many apps were built by veteran hackathoners connecting over slack to develop 36 projects in total. Examples of such apps built by the Houston Tech Startup community include an app which maps shelters in need of volunteers and supplies, an alerts chat bot, and a website with digitized forms for volunteers to receive reimbursement by FEMA. Harvey hit first and hit hard, but thanks to efforts of Houston's coders and developers the relief effort was greatly improved. Before Irma hit Florida, many of Houston's developers began re-working their apps and projects to make them adaptable and ready to use for Florida.
With Harvey, Irma, and Maria now gone, many developers are moving towards developing longer term projects to help in the cleanup. This includes working closely with city planners and investors such as Mercury Fund (a local venture capital firm). The relief effort is far from over and it could take years before Houston returns back to the city it was before Harvey hit.
What are your guys thoughts on Hackathons now that you've learned a bit about how impacted the Harvey relief efforts? Would you ever participant in a hackathon in the future?
Article link: https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexkonrad/2017/09/06/houston-techies-build-apps-for-harvey-and-irma/#5fe291316001
Additional Read: https://techcrunch.com/2017/08/29/tech-companies-harvey-houston-fundraising/
Hi Jacob,
ReplyDeleteThis was a great article. I think that Hackathons are a good way for people to come together to create new technology. With Hackathons the collaboration really helps with ideas, you get to learn so much from others and ideas evolve so quickly. Some of the best ideas come from these types of events.
It's awesome how there was a group of veteran hackathoners that came together to create solutions that helped their community. Not only that, but they were able to continue developing their apps once the original need was gone.
Hi Jacob,
ReplyDeleteInteresting topic. I like the idea that people were trying to help others by creating apps, but wouldn't this only help those who managed to keep their phones throughout the disasters? Regardless, I agree that Hackathons lead to very inventive ideas. Good job!
Hello Jacob
ReplyDeleteI really like your post and think it covers an interesting topic. I am pretty surprised by the fact how fast people in Houston Tech can innovate the app and how powerful the app was in helping local residents.
I am also impressed by the strong sense of responsibility that Houston Tech holds toward further cleanup of the city. Great post!
Good Evening Jacob,
ReplyDeleteIts amazing to watch the community come together in a time of need and work together to accomplish some goals that can go a long way. The use of a hackathon can create a sense of well-being and strong collaboration on some new ideas. Yes, I would participate in a hackathon in the future, even with no incentive to help in a time of need.
Hi Jacob!
ReplyDeleteWow, this is an awesome story! It is amazing to hear how developers and other tech experts volunteer their expertise to make a difference in times of need. We generally think about helping out in terms of sending supplies and aid and things of that sort but I have never considered how we can aide in disaster relief through the means of technology. Hackathons are a great way to bring "hackers" of all types and backgrounds together to form a wide array of innovative solutions to problems. Using hackathons specifically for the effort of disaster relief is nothing short of ingenious. I know a lot of people would be on board for it and happy to be contributing.
I have participated in a Hackathon before – you were on my team! ;) Hack Arizona 2017! I would definitely participate in a hackathon again and maybe in the future when I have more skills to bring to the table I can participate in one such as this and help make a difference in people's lives.
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