In line with the efforts to help Indian government in rescue & rehabilitation of cyclone victims, Internet giant Google has set up a Crisis Response team. It has launched a ‘Person Finder’ to help those displaced by the storm to reconnect with their families. The open source software allows individuals to post and search for the status of relatives or friends affected by a disaster.
The eastern coast of India was hit by a powerful super-cyclone, Phailin, damaging over 2.34 lakh houses and paddy crops worth about Rs 2,400 crore.Fortunately, the it escaped from widespread loss of life due to timely relief and rescue operations. More than 8.73 lakh people have been evacuated by the authorities so far. The map displays the points where the cyclone has hit. It also has a list of helpline numbers. The maps have been set up by netizens who call themselves ‘digital humanitarian volunteers’ or so called CrisisMappers. The online volunteers along with on-the-ground relief mates from different places, including volunteers of StandBy Task Force, OpenCrisis, Info4Disasters, and several university students are working on the map.
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