Analyse: Multimedier den nye aktør ved katastrofer

“Technology is profoundly changing the nature of disaster response for many reasons, but perhaps most importantly, because it is changing the way that people themselves respond to disasters,” said Imogen Wall, coordinator of communications with affected communities for OCHA.

“A working phone is fast becoming a necessity for communities as they self-organize and source resources – whether they are trying to find family members, reach out to relatives overseas for assistance or organize a local relief effort,” she added.

Cesar Esguerra, 60, a father of five in the Philippines, is never without his mobile phone, which allows him to communicate via text messages with his children, relatives and even local officials, he said.

When a storm triggered week-long flooding in August 2012, Esguerra waited in his home in Pasig near Manila’s main water artery that cuts through the country of 100 million for the first alerts via phone. He then quickly led his family and neighbours out of harm’s way.

“You know the government will help you, but there is only so much rescuers can do. You have to help yourself,” he said. “Otherwise you will die.”

According to the Geneva-based International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in 2013, there are almost as many mobile phone subscriptions in the world as there are people with more than half of those (3.5 billion out of a total of 6.8 billion) in the Asia-Pacific region.

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