Katrina - Finding the right information

I've been watching the story of Katrina unfold and my heart goes out to those impacted. Like many people, I've been searching for information on what is really happening especially to folks I know. I typically goes to the Weather Channel and CNN for information. Unfortunately, what I finds on these sites is a few pictures of the suffering, watch some reporters get blasted by the wind, but few hard facts. I found some information on blogs and disccusion boards, but still not what I was looking for. Finally today, some resources are emerging that can actually help folks, but still it's difficult to get a clear picture of what's happening.

This event highlights the KM challenge. Providing usable and timely information, not just information. The "news media" provides a lot of information, but is this the knowledge that people need? It would be great if there was one source that provided information to the important questions like:
- What are the locations of the shelters? (pre as well as post event)
- How do I find loved ones, my friends, or neighbors? An example is the Next of kin registry.
- How do I get assistance? - Fema has a disaster assistance program.
- Maps - what roads are open, what areas of New Orleans are flooding, etc. ?
- What's the best way I can help?

Like most events, people are rushing to provide information. What is needed is someone to coordinate the information gathering and provide the information that people need to make decisions. Someone is needed to coordinate this and provide that knowledge that people actually need.