Disaster Relief Trials: Boulder

Quick update, as this little passion of mine seems to be taking off, thanks to the help of Portland's Transportland and their Disaster Relief Trials.
In June, there will be a Cargo Bike event, sponsored by Community Cycles as part of Boulder's Walk & Bike Month.
However, the Disaster Relief Trials will be a separate, much more challenging event, most likely late Summer/early Fall. The idea, is that this will be a series so DRT events in multiple cities will be similar in the rules, challenges, distances, etc. Since last year's inaugural event was held in Portland during Pedalpalooza, a lot of the thoughts are being shared from their planning. Here are some of the details that will most likely be a part of DRTs in at least 4 cities this year, and hopefully many more to come:

• Obstacle - one meter barrier (Which a rider would have to lift their bike/trailer/cargo over.)
• Obstacle - 6+" water crossing (Which a rider would have to ride through with cargo.)
• Obstacle - 400 meter+ section of rough terrain (read: mountain-bikey)
• Cargo -100lb accumulated payload (including something fragile to simulate medicine, and something oversized like a pallet, rescue sled, etc)
• Length - 3+ hour duration for the fastest competitors (Portland's was about a 30 mile route)
• Communication - any level of checkpoint monitoring and event info dispatching by local ham radio operators
• Communication - event-proof, annotated checkpoint map, given to competitors
• Rules - Le Mans style start (running start to parked bikes), ALL traffic rules, no predefined route. 

I'll be using this blog as Boulder's DRT site for now, though we may move to a Google+ page in the near future. That way, I can share info on the other cities participating, and document our planning processes for future events. 

p.s. If you're in Boulder, and want to volunteer, donate, participate, or learn more, leave a comment, or contact me through Gmail or Google+ (DRTBldr or rorowe).

Disaster! -Taking the Lane, volume 9

Last week, I received my copy of "Disaster" - Taking the Lane, volume 9 from Elly Blue. I was previously unaware of how cool these little zines were until Richard Masoner, of the Cycleicious blog shared a note about a Kickstarter for volume 9's printing/publishing. The zine is a collection of stories about how bicycles have, or should have a role in disaster relief, emergency preparedness, and all-around survival.
Obviously, this is something that has sparked my passion recently, thanks to Portland's Disaster Relief Trials and my newly acquired trailer. So, I chipped in $5 to get a copy, and spent my past few nights reading each of the stories before bed. There was nothing remarkably new, but that's because I've been devouring anything and everything I can find on bicycles and disaster relief, however, it has confirmed the most important detail for me: That the world is currently blind to the role of bicycles in disaster relief and emergency preparedness. We need to continue to educate people on the simplicity and power of the bicycle, and it's benefits in versatility over a car in times of distress and emergency. Hopefully, when Boulder hosts it's inaugural Disaster Relief Trials (hopefully this June), it will be enough of an interest to get everyone thinking about it more.

Disaster Relief Trials - Transportland

Disaster Relief Trials Trailer from Cantankerous Titles on Vimeo.

I realize this trailer is a little dated, but as I'm in the beginning stages of planning Boulder's own version of the Disaster Relief Trials, I thought it would be appropriate to share. As it stands, I'm brainstorming types of disasters Boulder should be prepared for, possible checkpoints, cargo, etc. I'm also researching and starting to reach out to organizations who I believe should be involved in the event to make it as authentic as possible. Over the next few weeks, I'll be blogging more about the steps being taken to make Boulder's "DRT" a reality.

Social Media and Emergencies (like Hurrican Gustav)

In late August, 2005, the southern United States got to experience Hurricane Katrina. Now, they're looking at Gustav. We watched the tsunami on TV. The earthquakes in Japan, India, California. The wild forest fires on the West Coast.
With all the social-networking, social-media tools that are out there, what are we doing to leverage them in the wake of disaster and emergency relief?
During Katrina, the now-defunct, moblogging site, "Textamerica", used cameraphone images, some Red Cross volunteers, and the power of networking to reunite families that were separated or lost during the evacuations and rescues. Since Textamerica is no longer available (I have one contact from there still...hoping he comes through with an article I can link here), I'm looking at how other social networks: Facebook, Plurk, BrightKite, and especially, Twitter, can help before, during, and after Gustav.
Picture this:

You've evacuated New Orleans, and are staying in a hotel for a few days. Of course, you brought changes of clothes, food, all your legal documents (right?), and multiple forms of currency (credit, checkbook, cash). You also grabbed your cellphone, laptop, and camera (and all the chargers!), and notified your family and friends where you'll be staying.

Now, during times like this, internet, phone, and cellphone towers get backlogged (especially if datacenters are flooded out or without power). You might be able to rely on a hotel's wi-fi, but truthfully, your cellphone is your best tool. SMS or text-messages get queued so they almost always go through, whereas a voice-call will just fail. By checking in to Twitter, a family can post news reports, location, images, and more to their network. More importantly, people who are looking for them can use http://search.twitter.com to find their family, friends, etc.
A few more tips for leveraging social media in the event of an environmental, terrorist, or other emergency:

• Use BrightKite to "check-in" to a location. Have it forwarded to Twitter. Also allows you to post notes, images, and see others who are checked in nearby.
• Have IDs/account #s memorized (or, if you trust it, scanned as images onto your phone or camera).
• Use Gustav's Ning: http://gustav08.ning.com/ as a central hub for all hurricane-related information.
• Be ready: http://www.ready.gov/

Any more tips? I pray everyone in the southern states shelter and safety over the next few days and coming weeks. Following the storm, I plan on looking at social-media as a way to help the cleanup efforts.

Photo credit: www.gisuser.com