Build Community: A Guide to Surviving Crises

A recent report from U.C. Berkeley and California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom made it adundantly clear that Californians want government to focus more on resiliency.  Overwhelmingly, the California Report Card found the concern up and down the state is disaster preparedness - or lack thereof.  This is not unique to the Golden State.

Indeed it's not.  An interest in resiliency and preparedness is taking root all over the place.

Indeed it's not.  An interest in resiliency and preparedness is taking root all over the place.

That, plus Open Data and Open Government.

Not to mention Mental Health and the workplace.

All facilitated by an empowered social entrepreneur community more committed to what they contribute to than what they get in return.

Who'd a thunk these different threads would all come together?

Civic startups and others in the open-data space have shown that they care an incredible resource when it comes to creating tools that citizens and government can use to be better prepared for crisis.  Open data has made mobile apps possible that identify the location of hundreds of Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) when someone nearby is in need of a lifesaving procedure.  Another app maps out all the fire hydrants in Boston, so volunteers can dig them out after a snowstorm.

But we can do more.

We sure can!  In fact, we're doing it already - through initiatives like HackGoesOn and countless others; through civic engagement groups like Why Should I Care and through online platforms like... well, you'll just have to see.

Could all of this have been predicted?  It was.