Real-time Relief

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Friday morning just as I was boarding a plane my phone beeped. Twitter was abuzz with the news of a massive earthquake off Japan’s east coast. By the time I got off the aircraft the sheer scale of the disaster was all over the internet. A country that was expected to handle such calamities with ease was suddenly crumbling and along

with it crumbled the confidence of the world sending everyone into a tizzy. If Japan that is all too familiar with earthquake couldn’t prepare for Friday’s aftermath no other country could. It’s been three days and the world is yet to come to terms with the scale of the catastrophe.
The most striking aspect of this calamity has been the speedy response of the Japanese government and the surrounding countries. The release of the news of the earthquake was almost immediately followed by real time updates by the quake victims painting the gruesome picture of the events that followed the massive tremor. The news channels have released several footage of video recording of the quake and the tsunami shot by the stunned citizens of Japan. Once it was clear the quake had caused communication lines to go bust, News channels like CNN and BBC set up help-lines for citizens of other countries to reach out to their loved ones trapped in Japan. Nidhi Adak was aghast and worried for her friends in Japan. “Two of my friends in Japan couldn’t get in touch with their husbands”, she recalls with a shudder. “Those in the actual disaster zone were getting informed through each of the black-outs and when supermarkets opened. The Google people finder has been a godsend to locate missing people. One of my friends reached her husband through Facebook and the other through People Finder. From what I hear, the Japanese are keeping their phones for emergencies and have been communicating via Facebook, Twitter and Skype”, she adds.
Furthermore, the warnings issued across pacific soon after the earthquake struck probably saved many lives. Although the death toll is estimated to hit 10,000, the fact remains that a natural phenomenon of that scale has no insulation. The news of an impending nuclear meltdown has further pushed people on edge. The effort to contain the disaster is as desperate as it is immense. Japan has officially asked US to help contain the radiation leakage. People are being tested for contamination and moved to a safer zone to ensure minimum damage. One can help but notice just how much technology has helped offset the growing sense of panic. Madhavi Manchi a post graduate student in Media Studies says, “It serves to reach more people, faster- almost as it happens. And that means a lot more people around the world can act. It is an important means by which resources and aid are reaching calamity struck area.”
Aids pouring in from close to 60 countries reached Japan in less than 48 hours. Red Cross, Red Cresent and the UN are pulling out all stops to help Japan recover from the disaster that is reaching World War 2 proportions. This world has amassed one of its biggest humanitarian efforts in record time and in record number of ways due to sheer accessibility and availability of technology. As I watch the news unfolding the scenes of devastation, I can’t help but recall the twitter update that changed the world for us… again.