Information Technology Disaster Resource Center (ITDRC)
​

A crew from the nonprofit  ITDRC arrived in New Mexico to support Internet connectivity for rural and Native communities impacted by COVID-19. The crew is conducting site assessments and deploying wireless access points, hotspots, and cradle points to support wireless access for community members in need.

Website: https://go.itdrc.org/projectconnect 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/itdrc

ITDRC ProjectConnect's New Mexico regional volunteer
deployment assistants include: 
​Kimball Sekaquaptewa, Santa Fe Indian School
​Jennifer Nevarez, Community Learning Network~NM TechWorks, Pueblo Connect, Internet Society
Mariel Triggs, MuralNet
Ahtza Dawn Chavez, NAVA Education Project
PED and Indian Education CradlePoint project
​
Special thanks to the ITDRC regional strike team:
Bless Booth, Chris Hillis, Dustin Li, Enrico Grillo, Kate Norem, Kristian Honey, Luis Perez, Less Shroyer, Joe Hillis, Tommy Johnson, and Warren Wylupski, 

Also, a very ​special thanks to all who have helped in the process including:
Kimball Sekaquaptewa from Santa Fe Indian School, Mariel Triggs from MuralNet, Jennifer Nevarez from Community Learning Network, Ahtza Dawn Chavez from NAVA Education Project, Gar Clarke from New Mexico Department of Information Technologies (DoIT), John DiRuggiero from Community Learning Network "Teaching and Learning with GIS," NM Public Education Department, LANL Foundation, LANL Community Partnership Office, Community Learning Network, the Internet Society and the Internet Society New Mexico Chapter,  the Homework GAP Team, DCA/State Library, IAD, PSFA, Navajo Nation, Community Advocacy, the Northern New Mexico STEAM Coalition, Rio Arriba County, the City of Santa Fe, Santa Fe County, and more.
​

To request assistance for a community site in the NM region,  https://go.itdrc.org/projectconnect

The secret is out!

​The ITDRC is amazing!
​New Mexico is SUPER grateful for the ITDRC's help in bringing Internet access to communities, students, and families impacted by COVID-19.

Special thanks to our regional Strike Team:
Luis Perez, Kate Norem, Tommy Johnson plus Dustin Li, Chris Hillis, and Joe Hillis

Where in New Mexico is the strike team?

The Tech superheroes from the ITDRC have already covered a lot of ground in New Mexico, with installations in: Tesuque Pueblo, Santa Clara Pueblo, Laguna Pueblo, Fort Wingate, Santa Fe Indian School, Pecos, Tierra Amarilla, Chama, and Santa Fe. Meanwhile, the following community sites are on the horizon for installations including: Jemez Pueblo, Zuni Pueblo, Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo, Santa Ana Pueblo, Chimayo, Dixon, Abiquiu, Pojoaque, Questa, Acoma Pueblo and more.

ITDRC Photo Gallery

What is the ITDRC?

The Information Technology Disaster Resource Center (ITDRC) is a nationwide, volunteer driven 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides no cost Information, Communications, and Technology (ICT) resources to communities in crisis.

the ITDRC team is comprised of more than 2,000 service oriented technology professionals with experience in many disciplines and has deployed hundreds of sites across the United States.

What is projectConnect?

With the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, education (both K-12 and collegiate programs) has shifted to online distance learning, where students must have access to the Internet to complete assignments. Historically, students who do not have access to reliable Internet use public facilities like libraries, or private businesses such as restaurants and coffee shops to get online to complete assignments. 

Given the nature of this pandemic, social distancing has been determined to be the best course of action to slow the spread of the virus; and libraries and businesses are closing their doors for the current time to stop the spread. This further increases the likelihood of students falling behind on coursework, and their grades suffering, and in general widening the digital divide.

For libraries, schools, community centers, and similar organizations: we're working with anchor institutions across the country, and working together with them to provide an outdoor access point with WiFi so that community members can access internet resources, including distance learning curricula and employment resources, outside of these community facilities (e.g. in parking lots, outdoor seating areas, and green spaces while social distancing). Our services are provided at no cost.

For public safety, emergency operations, and medical facilities: our service offering includes temporary network, voice, video, and wireless infrastructure, compute devices including notebooks and tablets, and broad technical assistance engineering, installing, and maintaining infrastructure at remote medical sites. Given the current crisis, our team can add the most value by connecting field hospitals, drive thru testing sites, and temporary command centers. All of our resources and services are provided at no cost, but we do request logistical assistance or reimbursement for shipping when applicable. 

The Tribal High School in Santa Fe, NM acts as a hub, where students from all neighboring tribes come to learn. With limited access, students were struggling with online learning. ITDRC techs got these students back online and back on track! Students can now drive up to the #WiFi Hotspot provided in the parking lot at the school. #ConnectTheTribes