Hello Hacker News Community,

I am currently in the earthquake zone around Hatay in Turkey. More than two weeks ago my roommate asked me if I could imagine - to drop everything to help there together with a Sufi community. As a matter of course I agreed and so the next evening I found myself as a carload of a VW T5. In Bulgaria we bought tents and sleeping bags as well as all kinds of material. In the mountains of Turkey, however, I was unfortunate enough to sprain my ankle. Now I am not a very big help in the camp. I almost feel more like a bit of a burden. Nevertheless, I am lovingly cared for and would like to use my skills as a scribbler to ask for technical support. Yesterday I was asked for help if I knew of any way to get several licenses for Excel free of charge. We receive donations daily in the form of toys, food, clothing and more. These need to be listed for organizational purposes.

We are located in Samandagi in a run down beach restaurant. Any help is appreciated. I myself am already living at the minimum, as I do not have a steady job and my open source programs are breadless art.

If anyone has experience in dealing with earthquakes or crisis situations and how to use technology to advantage - write to me. And if anyone from Microsoft or any other major tech company is listening in.... ask your manager if they could provide us with something. We have limited internet - so offline tools are preferred (like Excel).

Sincerely, Janis Jendraß (me@janis.io)