In the midst of widespread flooding in Manila, which displaced more than 80,000 residents and caused at least 50 deaths by unofficial count, a digital lifeline emerged. Filipino citizens, non-profit organizations and government agencies have been using social media to coordinate relief efforts and rescue missions.
The Philippines, one of the most social media-savvy countries in the world, relied on Facebook and Twitter to disseminate information as people pleaded for rescuers to retrieve them from the rooftops of their homes.
Roughly half of the population uses social networks something that government rescue workers, volunteers and media outlets used to their advantage by creating unified hashtags to spread information more efficiently. #RescuePH is for rescue calls; relief aid's hashtag is #ReliefPH, breaking news falls under #FloodsPH, and official government alerts are tagged with #PHalert.
Social media users also created a relief center map on Google Maps and a rescue request form.
Do you think consolidated hashtags and online coordination make a noticeable difference in disaster response, or is an official rescue request form an unnecessary step in relief aid? Let us know in the comments.
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This perky rescue team was unfazed by the fact that they were paddling through what is supposed to be a soccer field at the University of Santo Tomas. (via Paul Quiambao)
Reporter Lia Del Castillo took this snapshot in Malabon, Quezon City. She said, "Today, I witnessed firsthand how residents struggled to get by. I rode an army truck with mothers crying over their babies soaked in the rain. My heart broke over and over at the sad sights."
Paul Quiambao took an aerial shot of the University of Santo Tomas campus, which was affected heavily by the monsoon. Many students were stranded in their dorms with low supplies of food.
Ryan Chua documented residents evacuating from Provident Village, Marikina. The village had previously been submerged by Typhoon Ketsana in 2009.
Unperturbed by the storm, an unidentified person walks around in a Spider-Man outfit in this shot by Tepan Espino
Barbi Chan snapped this photo of a man floating by on an inflated tube outside her house.
Vince Golangco posted this shot of buses plodding through waist-deep water. "Close to my place in Sta. Mesa. Our street is elevated though, so we're ok."
Jerry Olaguer turned back to save his pets: "Went back to our house (Provident Village, Marikina) to get our dogs, Mocha and Baxter. Thank God they're safe now with us."
Some areas, such as Marikina, were more heavily affected. "This is Barangay IVC in Marikina right now," said Cheryl Tiu. "I am currently taking shelter in a half-sunken van."
Photo courtesy Reymund Yu Sio.
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