EMERGE

A platform where people in need of aid during emergencies (such as the power outages in Austin due to the ice storm of '23) can seek help from hosts who offer aid in the form of food, supplies, etc.

Comment

Inspiration

As of February 5th, 2023, over 57,000 homes and businesses in Austin remain without electricity (Texas Tribune, 2023), in the aftermath of the recent winter storm, leaving thousands of residents without power and warmth. Out of desperation, many of the affected resorted to apartment-hopping and hunting for places to go for shelter, fresh food, among other things. But what about those who were not able to find open business venues or good friends/acquaintances to help out?

EMERGE seeks to solve this problem by leveraging the power of the Austin community, connecting those who offer and those who seek help - to emerge out of extreme emergency situations.

What it does

EMERGE is a web platform where people in need of shelter/aid during emergencies such as this one can seek help from hosts who are available to provide aid in the form of food, shelter, supplies, etc.

  • Based on data from Austin Energy, users will be able to see power outage rates in Austin zip codes.
  • Hosts can post what assistance they are able to offer: food, shelter, shower facility, blankets, etc. as well as their availability.
  • Seekers can search for hosts in their zip code and request help based on each posting.
  • Hosts will be notified of these requests via email/SMS.
  • Once a host approves a request, their contact information will be shared with the requesting seeker. Hosts and seekers can then communicate directly to offer/receive the help they need!

How I built it

  1. Designed the UI wireframes and mockups using Figma
  2. Built a rough front-end using React
  3. Used the Google Maps API to integrate geographic data and mapping functionality
  4. Set up the backend for the web app using Node.js
  5. Created an ERD and set up the MySQL database for the platform

Challenges I ran into

  • Lack of experience in back-end web development.
  • Time constraint: It was difficult to finish building as a solo team in under 24 hours.
  • The overall challenge of building a web app from scratch

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

  • Building my first full-stack web application!
  • Taking the first step towards solving a dire problem in the Austin community.
  • Enjoying the process of building <3

What I learned

  • Full-stack development is challenging but exciting!
  • Any difficult problem is fun to solve if one is passionate about the cause.

What's next for EMERGE

This is my 10-step plan on how I plan on taking EMERGE forward:

  1. Complete front-end functionality for hosts & optimize for mobile users
  2. Email/SMS Server set up to notify hosts about requests from aid seekers
  3. User Profiles
  4. Integrate reliable data source (zip codes and power outage data) for heat maps
  5. Include data from businesses and organizations providing aid under hosts
  6. Educational section on what steps to take during related emergencies
  7. Server-side rendering of map elements
  8. Web Hosting
  9. Test, test, test!
  10. Deploy to the public & iterate!
Share this project:

Updates