By now, some of you must have heard, seen on the news or read about the typhoon that wrecked havoc on Manila, the Philippine capital yesterday. As reported by the news, Typhoon Ondoy (international name "Ketsana"), dumped 13.4 inches of rainfall on the city of Manila -- reportedly the average amount of rainfall for a MONTH in the capital -- in just 6 hours. The result: massive floods raising the water level of the rivers and creating 8 to about 20 feet high floodwaters in some areas of the city and neighboring provinces.
NAPOCOR, the electricity generating government corporation of the Philippines, cut electricity to certain areas, affecting telephone and mobile phone access. In the affected areas -- some popularly known upper-income class exclusive villages and subdivisions -- families huddled under the still drizzling rain on their rooftops, as the floodwaters inundated some of the 1st and 2nd floor levels of homes, waiting for rescue that came only many hours later. By then, a number of houses were already washed away, water dikes were washed away, as well as vehicles floating along in the swift current of passing floodwaters.
With phone lines, mobile phones and electricity in some areas dead, how do you contact or even inform disaster teams where your loved ones are to be rescued? And how do concerned families and relatives of the affected living overseas find and be assured of their loved ones safety?
NAPOCOR, the electricity generating government corporation of the Philippines, cut electricity to certain areas, affecting telephone and mobile phone access. In the affected areas -- some popularly known upper-income class exclusive villages and subdivisions -- families huddled under the still drizzling rain on their rooftops, as the floodwaters inundated some of the 1st and 2nd floor levels of homes, waiting for rescue that came only many hours later. By then, a number of houses were already washed away, water dikes were washed away, as well as vehicles floating along in the swift current of passing floodwaters.
With phone lines, mobile phones and electricity in some areas dead, how do you contact or even inform disaster teams where your loved ones are to be rescued? And how do concerned families and relatives of the affected living overseas find and be assured of their loved ones safety?
That's when enterprising socially-oriented Filipino volunteers sprung into action -- using social media! GMA News 7, a nationwide news TV channel known also for their public service programs, immediately opened a Facebook page, offering an interactive bulletin board wherein people can post their requests for help to locate a missing family member or relative, or to alert disaster control authorities to rescue a family member or friend holed up in a house inundated by flood waters. Most of the posters where family and friends overseas or also victims of floodwaters who were stranded in offices and friends' homes in the city.
Another group of volunteers put up an interactive Google map, plotting all the locations, based on the reported addresses of all the stranded flood victims. The result was an ingenious and alternative "digital century" way of sending out that important message to afflicted parties and notifying disaster crews on which areas of the city they have to focus their rescue efforts.
Now if we can just use this way of communications in Vietnam . . .
Get a more comprehensive story in the following link: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/173278/as-telecoms-break-down-social-media-connects-victims
