As major hurricanes—Harvey, Irma, Jose, Maria—swept across the south, devastating residents and affecting communities around the nation, experts in IT and education reimagined an app to help homeowners back on their feet called Hope4Homes.
The original concept of an AVR-based trade school was created by Jack Werner, a master home inspector for the National Association of Home Builders. It was then enhanced through the work of Todd Feehan, head of Oklahoma’s Dad’s Plumbing, and Oral Roberts’ CIO Mike Mathews. Initially, the app was to serve as a virtual tool to teach carpentry, electrical, and other trades, but Hope4Homes soon morphed into a means to help homeowners learn how to complete simple tasks to help speed up repair to their damaged homes.
“Using AVR in this capacity brings education and guidance to those that otherwise might not receive it in time—or are left to do their own repairs, but receive little direction,” said Mike Mathews, CIO, Oral Roberts University, and one of the leaders of the app project.
Hope4Homes is available on Apple IOS and Google Android devices and includes special guides to help those suffering from flooded homes—including damaged drywall, mold, and other damage. Tips and resources are compiled from FEMA and the Weather Channel and soon the virtual offerings will include electricity, drywall, and landscaping. The app is also offerings a series of webinar hosted by Werner and will feature how to reconstruct different parts of the home.
On-Demand Webcast: Listen as Mike Mathews, CIO of ORU, discusses his strategy behind creating a global digital society.
The app is sponsored by Houston Community College and Carousel Industries.
Reflecting on the project, Carousel CRO Jim Marsh said, “we are committed to helping their vision of a digital society become a reality by leveraging our unparalleled expertise in wireless technology, managed services and distance learning.”
Since 2014, Duke has served as an account executive for Carousel, assisting clients in the Texas region. He holds expertise in network infrastructure and network security technology.
Read More Posts From DukeConnect With Duke
Networking
If there’s one thing the last year has taught us, it’s the need for flexibility. The IT teams working at businesses around the world didn’t have “global pandemic” on their radar, yet they had to work to shift processes and business models almost overnight with a SD-WAN solution. And in many cases, they had to […]
6.15.2021
Networking
Businesses have leveraged Internet of Things (IoT) capabilities for years and the use of these devices – sensors, monitors, and other smart technologies with Internet connectivity – is exploding. Unlike cell phones and laptops, IoT devices aren’t usually linked to any one user. Instead, they’re the communication component in a heart monitor that lets hospital […]
12.22.2020
Networking
For years enterprises have been deploying VLANs to segment their networks. The thought was that devices in one segment were limited in their ability to adversely affect devices in another. This approach to security in fact provided very little in the way of actual risk mitigation, and in reality provided a false sense of security. […]
10.16.2020
Networking
As more companies transition from MPLS to SD-WAN, the migration process has become less uncertain and significantly more streamlined than in the technology’s early days. A 2019 study conducted by IDC revealed that 39% of enterprises already have invested in SD-WAN solutions and by 2021 the number of organizations deploying this technology will reach 94 percent. As […]
8.24.2020