By John Mark V. Tuazon
Computerworld Philippines
October 6, 2009

For a brief six hours one September weekend, time stood still for residents of Metro Manila as an advent of torrential rain from typhoon Ondoy (International codename: Ketsana) ravaged the entire Philippine capital, inundating houses and people with muddy waters and virtually erasing towns and cities off the map.

The irony of the situation was that nobody saw it coming. One would think that the Philippines, ever the stopover of tropical cyclones due to its geographical position, would be no stranger to such a naturally-occurring calamity.

Yet reports as of writing point out that at least 240 people have been found dead, 38 are still missing and an approximate 200,000 families have been displaced by the storm that recorded 455 millimeters of rain—a measure 182% higher than Katrina’s 250 millimeters in the United States and the first recorded of such magnitude in 42 years.

The country’s weather bureau—which reports and analysts say fell short in predicting the devastating impact of the storm—also pointed out that the gush of water on the 26th of September surpassed the monthly average of rainfall expected in the nation’s capital. “The system is overwhelmed, local government units are overwhelmed,” admits Anthony Golez, deputy presidential spokesperson, at a National Disaster Coordinating Council press conference the day after.

Where the government faltered in its efforts, concerned groups and individuals more than made up for in the inherent spirit of bayanihan the Philippines has always been known for. Aside from good-natured people who decided to help victims over at ground zero, various individuals likewise took to the Web and used the available tools at their disposal.

The power to retweet
Columnist and TV host Manolo L. Quezon III was one of the active Web users who coordinated the influx of aid and volunteers by posting regular updates on different evacuation and relief centers via Twitter. “Broadly speaking, my involvement included calling attention to relief efforts, directing people to contribute to directories for numbers and places to donate, relaying public concerns and requests for clarification to the authorities, and help with the coordination of actual relief operations,” he explained.

In the absence of up-to-date and reliable information posted by the government, citizens turned to their Twitter walls for up-to-the minute reports regarding the relief efforts of different organizations. Popular Twitter users such as Quezon, local celebrity Jim Paredes, Broadcast Journalist Howie Severino, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro and RockED originator Gang Badoy were one of the most re-tweeted personalities throughout the week of extending relief efforts to calamity victims. Re-tweeting allowed short messages to be dispersed to an exponential number of people given Twitter’s networked structure.

Toni, a sales agent, for example, was one of the volunteers who went to the Sagip Isko relief effort in UP Diliman. “I volunteered [in UP] because I read on Twitter that they were re-opening operations today,” she says. “I was supposed to go to Balay Expo [in Cubao] because I volunteered there before, but they were close today, and UP Diliman was the closest center I could find.”

Brian Ong, the communications head of the UP Sagip Isko relief center and councilor of the UP University Student Council, said online social networks such as Twitter and Facebook have been very instrumental in disseminating information about the status of their efforts. “We often post updates through Twitter, Facebook, Multiply and Plurk, especially about the things we need here in the center and whenever we need more volunteers,” he explains, adding that whenever they would post quick updates, people would immediately respond with the goods or manpower they need.

Quezon echoes the same effect of social networks in one of his tweets, saying that his mother, who was volunteering for Red Cross in Pasig, told him that “there were a lot of volunteers who came and told them they heard about the relief efforts through Facebook.”

Facebook ‘flood’
Typhoon Ondoy caused flooding in many areas in the metro but the flood eventually reached the walls of popular social networking site Facebook as well, albeit in a different form. For several days after the typhoon, citizens used their walls to update their friends and colleagues with information relating to the recent calamity.

Facebook proved to be a vital tool in raising awareness that some users appealed to their friends to withhold irrelevant updates—such as network games, unrelated photos or irrelevant comments—to clear up people’s news feeds and make way for updates relating only to the typhoon. The result were Facebook news feeds peppered with pure updates from concerned citizens, able and willing to help in any way they could.

Directing efforts
The deluge of information proved to be a herculean feat to organize, especially for would-be volunteers who wanted to know which areas they can offer their help. Serge Gregorio, a local Web developer, was one of the first to notice this, which led him to action. “[During the typhoon], I couldn’t reach my brother and my dad. Frustrated that I couldn’t do anything to help my folks, I set up a Google Maps page for Ondoy Manila in the evening,” Gregorio narrates. “My primary source of data—mostly pleas for help—were Twitter, Facebook, the GMA News web site, and TV.”

Gregorio set up the Google Maps page unaware of its potential purpose in the rescue efforts. “I guess at that time, it was more of a ‘prayer’—rather than a rational decision—that rescue teams would notice the map site and use it,” he shares.

Little did he know that his small effort would prove to be a crucial instrument in trying to consolidate the dearth of information available online. “We were able to establish formal cooperative ties with GMA and ABS-CBN, who embedded the map we made in their respective news sites,” Gregorio says. “With the two giant networks behind our back, I was now more confident the map would be noticed and used to help save lives.”

By Sunday morning, Gregorio’s page gained more mileage when he was introduced to Dana Calit, an officer who works for Google. “She helped mobilize the company in making the Ondoy site more visible by putting the link to it below the keywoard search box at the Google Philippines home page,” he says. Other Google software engineers and willing Filipinos, he notes, also pitched in by improving the capabilities and interface of the map facility. By then, Gregorio’s small effort has become a central hub of information regarding the latest developments with the relief efforts.

Cashflow
Information proved to be a crucial resource in the recent time of crisis, but the power of the Internet was not limited to merely processing and disseminating useful information to concerned individuals. As the damage the typhoon wrought became more and more apparent throughout the days, people started looking for avenues where they can help in whatever way they can.

Mike Villar, a local Internet Marketer, was one of the first people to come to the victims’ aid using the Internet. “When you see people’s houses half-submerged—houses of people you know—it just hits you: ‘This is really happening!’ And instinctively, you jump up and do what you can to help,” he succinctly narrates in an online interview with local technology blog Technogra.ph.

“Being a professional Internet marketer with considerable clout in the local Internet community,” he continues, “I figured creating a website to collect financial aid is the best I can do.” Because of Villar’s efforts, PhilippineAid.com came into fruition, which drew widespread attention for allowing Internet users with Paypal accounts to donate to the cause through a widget called ChipIn.

In a short span of 48 hours, Villar’s efforts paid off—literally. He was able to raise over P300,000 to be turned over to the Philippine National Red Cross. The best part about his initiative? “It didn’t cost me a thing [to set the website up]. Zero pesos and zero cents.”
The same milestone was achieved by local consumer group TXTPower, who mobilized its members to ask for donations to be donated to PNRC. “We really felt we had to do something and provide people here and abroad an opportunity to concretely help via online and mobile donations,” explains Anthony Ian Cruz, convenor, TXTPower.

Cruz says they utilized their website (TXTPower.org), Facebook, Twitter, Plurk and their blogs to get their message across. “TXTPower’s fundraising campaign was included since day one in many lists [passed around the Web] on how people could help Ondoy victims,” he says.

At the end of their fundraising drive, TXTPower was able to turn over around P1.2 million worth of donations to PNRC, with more cash donations waiting to be remitted through Paypal.   “I think TXTPower’s quick, timely and correct decision to air an appeal for donations did it for the campaign,” Cruz surmises. “We also filled a gaping void: the Red Cross didn’t have a secure and safe way of getting online donations—and our campaign provided that.”

Later on in the relief drive, however, PNRC was able to secure a Paypal account, to which TXTPower and PhilippineAid.com directed all their efforts in. But early on in the campaign, PNRC enabled Filipinos to donate money by sending their airtime credits to access numbers provided by major networks. “Red Cross donation through SMS: text REDAMOUNT to 2899 (Globe) or 4483 (Smart),” a Twitter message being passed around reads.

Hard-earned lessons
The recent calamitous events proved to be a hard-earned lesson in disaster response and preparedness. However, more than anything, it highlighted the important role the Internet plays not only in simple day-to-day communications, but in the larger context of society as well. Without the efforts of netizens to dispose of and disseminate precious information about the calamity, people would still be stuck perched upon their roofs, waiting for capable individuals for much-needed rescue or nourishment.

Businesses and organizations still skeptical about the short- and long-term potentials of Web 2.0—social networking in particular—to their firms should therefore take a quick look at the recent collaboration efforts during the recent typhoon, and how effectively it has served the victims of calamity.

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