In August 2017, Beth Karp (JD/MPP '20) drove from Chicago to Houston with no connections and no plan to try to help out with relief work in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.

What could have been a pretty dumb and fruitless experiment turned into something amazing: an opportunity to jump into action with grassroots organizations that sprang up out of nowhere within days to distribute thousands of meals, chauffeur evacuees to medical appointments, muck out flooded homes, and much more. Social media helped make it possible. Apps like Facebook, Zello, Google Voice, and Uber have changed the landscape of disaster relief, facilitating coordination among volunteers and connecting people more quickly to rescue and resources. In this episode, Beth speaks to evacuees, grassroots organizers, and the American Red Cross to discuss the role of new technologies in disaster relief and recovery.

Credits:
Beth Karp for interviewing, engineering, producing, and editing.

Special thanks to interviewees Aaron Flores, Bill Baldwin, Ed Pettitt, Gabrielle Bland, Mark Matsusaki, Sarah Terez Malka, Orville and Darryshia Rumble, Harley Jones, Jim McGowan, Joy Squier; production guru David Raban; the UC3P members who assisted with transcription; Andrea Andrada for vocals on our music; and the countless people who donate their time, money, and energy to disaster relief worldwide.