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When SMS Messaging Is Planned For, It Helps People

June 1, 2006 | Taran Rampersad
file under:
archive, communication, disaster, disaster management, messages, mobileactive, real-time, sms, texti

I've always harped on 2 way SMS communication, since before the South East Asia tsunami in 2004. It's always irritated me that such an obvious thing seemed so unobvious to people. It's not a matter of ownership, it's a matter of just seeing something that can save lives doing just what it could.

 Today I got a real treat. A group of people on the other side of the planet, in Indonesia, who I do not know and have never spoken with, have done it, and sadly, have had to use it. Check out WorldWideHelp for details.

JALIN Merapi (site in Indonesian) had an SMS number in place for emergencies before the Earthquake happened, and it has been in use since immediately after the earthquake. This is what it's all about. A fragile human being capable of communicating to an outside number, through text messaging. They are not alone with such a device; simple communication can provide so much comfort in such circumstances. Hope. And Hope makes a difference.

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