The article is one of the prime examples of how the media plays an important role in saving lives of many people. If you didn’t know yet, there’s a flood in Jammu and Kashmir (India) and people are suffering from it every single minute. This is a big ongoing issue in India, people have been dying, starving in the floods this very second in Jammu and Kashmir, India. Although the steps are continuously taken by the government to recover everyone lost or getting hurt in the flood – it is consuming a lot of time. There are campaigns set over all the internet to help these people, and here’s a step taken by a big company also a search engine we all use – Google.
Yes, Google has launched a new tool called the “Person Finder”. I think the tool’s name is self-explanatory. This tool by Google will let people find people who are stuck in the flood of Jammu and Kashmir. Now, this may not be 100% effective or this may not entirely change everything happening right now, but I’d say it’s a big step taken by Google to help towards this issue.
Now this tools works on both ways,
1. If you are NOT stuck in the flood and you are just worried about one who might have, you choose the first option saying “I’m looking for someone” this in return will ensure you whether your loved one is safe from the calamity.
2. If you are one of those who got affected, but have got safe now or if you have information about a flood survivor – you can let people know by clicking the second option “I have information about someone“.
Here’s how it basically works:
More about the Google Person finder tool:
- Google Person Finder is organized and maintained by google.org
- Google Person Finder helps people reconnect with friends and loved ones in the aftermath of natural and humanitarian disasters.
- This tool itself is available in languages: Urdu,Hindi and English, Hindi being the native/local language of the place Jammu and Kashmir.
- The tool can also be used from your cell phone directly without using the internet – via SMS. But you can only search for people using the SMS feature and not the other way around. Search is available through SMS. Text “search <name>” to 9773300000.
- The direct link of the tool is http://google.org/personfinder/2014-jammu-kashmir-floods
Another tool named “One Box” has been launched in the Google addressing this issue (Both in Hindi and English)
This provides helpline information of the Army, Home Ministry, and NDRF Control Room, listed below:
Emergency Army Helpline : (+91) 011-23019831
Home Ministry Helpline : (+91) 011-23093054, (+91) 011-23092763
Note: These are to be used for emergencies only, and not for pranks. Such calls will be traced and the offenders will be punished.
Additionally if you are willing to support India to fight against this disaster, you can do so by donating some money to the Prime minister of India: using the form here.
