August 31, 2005

Computer Corner is a weekly video report examining the latest trends in technology. Helpful links are listed. Walt Zwirko reports from WFAA-TV in Dallas.

It's the story we've all been focused on since Sunday: Hurricane Katrina.

And once again, the Internet is playing a central role in conveying information about the devastation and recovery efforts.

Weather-related Web sites were hammered as Katrina plowed into the Gulf coast on Monday morning. The National Weather Service couldn't handle all the requests for information at the peak of the storm, according to Keynote Systems, a company that monitors Internet performance.

Weather.com, The Weather Channel's online home, remained available, but Keynote said pages loaded slowly — and often without the maps and other graphic information being sought by surfers.

One of the beacons of information emerging from the storm is WWLTV.com. Channel 4 in New Orleans is Channel 8's sister station, and they have been doing an incredible job relaying the latest information direct from the scene of devastation.

The Web site also helps hurricane victims share their personal stories with the rest of the nation.

A series of online forums is available for worried friends and relatives to ask questions — and get answers when available.

A new I'm Okay clearinghouse added just today lets storm survivors relay information about their situation to the outside world.

The WWL-TV site is also letting users send in photos of hurricane damage in the New Orleans area, including a stunning shot of a giant upside-down root beer mug, part of a restaurant sign toppled by Katrina's winds.

But perhaps the most popular feature of the WWL-TV site is its live streaming video of the station's continuous news broadcast.

Early today, you would have seen Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco being interviewed.

It's live; it's compelling; and often, what you see is heartbreaking.

WWL-TV's marathon broadcast/Webcast started up again at 5:30 this morning and will likely continue into the evening hours. Be sure to check it out.

Our hats are off to our colleagues in New Orleans who are performing a tremendous public service.

Blogger posts from hurricane zone

About the last thing you'd expect to find in the chaos left behind by Hurricane Katrina is someone perched high above the streets of New Orleans, keeping an electronic diary of day-to-day events.

That someone exists, though. His name is Michael Barnett, but he calls himself The Interdictor.

Barnett manages a communications complex in a 27-story office building in downtown New Orleans. He decided to stay behind and ride the storm out, after the hurricane warning was issued.

Along the way, he has been documenting the arrival and aftermath of Katrina in a Web log, or blog, that is now being read around the world.

DirectNIC.com

Barnett's blog offered dramatic photos of a fire in downtown New Orleans on Friday.

"If you've got to ride out a hurricane, do it in an Internet data center on the 10th floor of a high rise," he wrote on Monday during the height of the storm.

As early as Tuesday morning, the security of Barnett, his girlfriend and others staying with him was becoming a concern.

"I am not trying to be an alarmist," he wrote, "but until we get a military presence of significance in the city, the roving gangs of thugs own the streets." He said he was expecting the worst "and preparing for it."

Barnett has also posted scores of digital photos since last weekend, most of them taken from the now-broken windows of his refuge.

By Thursday morning, Barnett was ready to admit that the "situation is critical," but his response to countless messages from well-wishers was: "I'm not leaving ... so stop asking."

Barnett said he had first-hand information about low morale in the police department. "Over 30 officers have quit over the last three days," he said, based on information from an officer who sought refuge in the data center.

On Friday afternoon, just before Computer Corner went on the air, Barnett posted dramatic photos of a fire raging out of control in a nearby building. "Hopefully they can contain it," he said, adding, "I don't think they're gonna win this one."

His mood brightened in a dispatch at 12:19 p.m. Friday, when he saw a military convoy coming down the street loaded with supplies.

"Hope is on the way for the people at the Convention Center. Finally."

But that message was tinged with a sense of despair.

"I think it finally hit me when I was on our roof, 27 floors up, looking down at my city. This place will never be the same — and I don't mean in that 'can't step into the same river twice' philosophical sense. I mean in the 'We won't even recognize the place' sense."