Social Media And Mobile Phones Ease Disaster Impact
- 17 Oct
According to the Red Cross:
"Mobile phones and social media are saving thousands of lives in disaster-prone countries but many vulnerable communities need to be equipped with modern communications."The importance of social media and mobile phone in disaster management can be seen in the widespread use of Twitter and text messaging in disaster relief efforts in the Philippines when Typhoon Bopha slammed into the south of the country in December last year, leaving more than 1,800 dead and missing.
Thousands of lives were saved because 99% of the population have access to a mobile phone and could receive early warnings and information staying safe.
New strai Times gave the following statistics:
- The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said the number of people affected by disasters dropped worldwide in 2012, although, poorer rural areas were hit harder with over 31.7 million affected.
- A total of 15,706 people were killed and nearly 139 million affected in 552 natural and industrial disasters in 2012.
- Countries like the Philippines and Indonesia are successfully tapping modern communication to gather and spread information when disasters strike.
- The worlds' poorest nations suffer because of lack of accesss to basic technological tools sucha as early warning systems and network infrastructure.
- Studies show that many around the world were deprived of access to technology because of inequalities across gender, income and urban/rural divides.
- 47% of women in the capital of the Central African Republic bangui depend on others for all types of information, com[pared to 305 of the men.
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