American Red Cross of Greater Indianapolis recognizes IHETS for assistance during 2005 hurricanes in Gulf Coast
Carol Greeley, resource development specialist with the American Red Cross of Greater Indianapolis, and Dr. Yaobin Chen, a member of the Indianapolis Red Cross board and professor in School of Engineering & Technology at IUPUI (from left) are pictured with IHETS staffers Dave Cory and Max Gordon. The two presented Cory, a state network senior engineer, and Gordon, assistant director of network operations, with a plaque and thanks in recognition of IHETS' Gulf Coast assistance in 2005.
In-kind donation of services provided colleges, universities, shelters, and food banks with access to critical telecommunication services
January 17, 2007
Contact:
communications@ihets.org
In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina cut a path of destruction across the Gulf Coast and left the nation facing an unprecedented tragedy. Since the beginning of that devastating hurricane season, the American Red Cross has been widely recognized for providing essential services assistance to those in need.
On January 9, IHETS was also recognized for providing two of its technology experts to help Mississippi and Louisiana colleges, universities, shelters, and food banks with critical telecommunication services, including phone and Internet access.
Representatives from the American Red Cross of Greater Indianapolis thanked IHETS for its assistance and services. In September of that year, two long-time IHETS telecommunications engineers, Dave Cory and Max Gordon, drove a mobile satellite-based unit from Indiana throughout the ravaged region.
The unit provided reliable high-speed broadband and VoIP telephony services, including two-way video conferencing, as well as support for peripheral computing and electrical equipment.
In Mississippi, Cory and Gordon spent time at Alcorn State and Mississippi State universities, providing assistance to shelters and food banks in D'Iberville, Gautier, Pascagoula, and Waveland along the way. When they reached Louisiana, they worked with telecommunication and IT staff at Louisiana State University and the University of New Orleans to get those institutions back online.
The pair were on the road for three weeks, finding their own food and shelter, sleeping on floors, cots in conference rooms, and tents. They saw battered university facilities reeking of mold, mildew, and debris. In Baton Rouge, they camped near Louisiana State's coliseum, which had been converted to a shelter for thousands of homeless dogs and cats. At the University of New Orleans, a building whose roof had blown off was still soggy from severe water damage—and it was four stories high.
Cory and Gordon were joined for a few days by Dan Carnevale, a reporter for the Chronicle of Higher Education, who profiled them and others providing volunteer relief services. Carnevale's report was published in the Chronicle's October 21, 2005 issue (pgs. A39–41).
In May of 2006, Cory and Gordon—along with several other institutions, organizations, and individuals—were also recognized by the American Distance Education Consortium (ADEC) at their annual meeting in Washington, DC.
