Looking to Get Back Online
Hurricane Isabel had its nasty effects on many east coast offices, causing many workers to seek a digital connection elsewhere.
When the lights went out in Bethesda last week, Clemens Kochinke fired up his emergency generator and plugged in three things, in this order: the fridge, the freezer and the computers.
Then he put a sign in his front yard to let any laptop-toting neighbors know that if they wanted to check their e-mail, they could log on to the Internet through his wireless connection. ‘Internet Access. Free Access when Generator is on,’ his sign proclaimed.” …
Marie-Louise Murville, a business strategy consultant, has been staying on top of her projects by hauling her laptop to places with wireless Internet connections — Starbucks, the “Jamba Juice Cafe” at Whole Foods, a friend’s apartment in Georgetown. She normally works from her home office near the Naval Observatory but has been without power since last week.
The hurricane caused power outages and phone problems (including cell phones in some areas), among other disaster-related results. Many people responded by quickly addressing their digital disconnect: life will return to normal once they’re online again.