One of the challenges in any disaster is connecting people who need help rebuilding their lives with those in a position to assist them.
Bridging that divide is the goal of a new website, www.our10.org, launched in the wake of the flooding that devastated Northeast Pennsylvania.
At Our10.org, flood victims can create wish lists of the top 10 items they need - everything from refrigerators to drywall to flatware - which neighbors and other individuals who may have those items to donate can browse, Tunkhannock resident Michael Cahill, who helped develop the site, said Monday.
When a prospective donor finds something on a wish list they can donate, they select the item and click a button to connect with the person who is requesting it, he said. There is an email exchange, and the parties can then make arrangements to pick up or deliver the donated item.
Mr. Cahill, a graphic designer and social media marketer, said he and Chris Mincarelli, a Tunkhannock native who now lives in Maryland, were brainstorming about ways to help local victims of the flooding when they came up with the concept.
"We thought if we could just get lists of these things from flood victims, there are tons of people willing to make the donations if they know what people need," Mr. Cahill said. "That is pretty much what the idea was born from."
The two launched a preliminary version of the website Friday, and it went into full release Saturday.
The American Red Cross has been helping to spread the word about the website, Mr. Cahill said. As of Monday afternoon, four flood victims had registered wish lists.
While the regional flooding was the impetus behind Our10.org, Mr. Cahill said the website is designed so it could be used "anytime anywhere in the world for any disaster, right down to a house fire."
"It's a pretty unique idea," Mr. Cahill said. "It just takes a situation like this for people to put their thinking caps on and see what they can do with the technology that already exists."
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SOUTHERN TIER, N.Y. -- In response to the flooding, a new website has been that allows people to see what others in their community are in need of the most.
The site is Our10.org. People create a list of the ten things they could use most in their recovery and those lists can be viewed by the public. Anyone who can fill those needs are connected to the flood victims and can donate items from the lists. The site creators say they had one goal in mind when coming up with Our10.
"We had one focus with this website and that is to get disaster victims connected with great neighbors who are just really looking to help out. And that is the only point of the site and that's why we just kept it real simple," said co-creator Michael Cahill.
Some items currently in need on the site include dishware, clothing and appliances. The site creators say it can be used by anyone in any region affected by the flooding.