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Online Collaboration Helps Mumbai Attack Victims

Posted by Soulskill on from the pulling-together dept.

GillBates0 writes "CNN has a nice story about how online collaboration swiftly helped form a centrally organized online disaster effort during Wednesday's Mumbai attacks. India accounts for almost one-fifth of the world's cell phone subscribers. At a time when chaos reigned, and voice calls were jammed, a loose collaboration of techies, laymen, and good samaritans quickly collaborated online via social media, Wikipedia, Google docs and other online resources to coordinate blood donors, assistance, rides, and other services to help the victims of the attack."

3 of 46 comments (clear)

  1. Geeks Inherit the Earth by retroworks · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I work internationally with many repairers, refurbishers, and geeks of many tongues and languages. They are respected in their societies in a way that is more like we respect doctors.

    --
    Gently reply
  2. Government is completely inept! by parallel_prankster · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The government of India is pretty ill-prepared and inefficient for such events. The first instinct of most citizens is that they need to take things in their own hands. Within moments of the blasts, the people around the affected areas had immediately started getting help, getting cars to take victims to nearby hospitals, even managing traffic. The police and the ambulances arrived almost 30 mins later followed by a bunch of politicians who started the blame game. http://www.dnaindia.com/india/slideshow_mumbai-blasts-5-most-stupid-things-our-politicians-said_1565822-5#top

    1. Re:Government is completely inept! by kqs · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Not so many years ago, in many parts of the southern USA, if a crime was committed and it was obvious that the government wasn't bringing anyone to justice fast enough, citizens would take things into their own hands. They'd lynch the person that everyone *knew* was guilty (who, for some reason, usually had dark skin), then pat themselves on the back for being such good citizens.

      It's common that during disasters, citizens take things into their own hands by looting anything that they may need or want, hoarding it rather than sharing it with their neighbors in need.

      I'm a great fan of self-sufficient citizens, don't get me wrong. But one of the things I fear more than the government is my fellow citizens happily defining "the right thing" using their prejudices and religions. I think that the government should have a strong role in the aftermath of a disaster.