Tag Archives: Injuries

With Social Media ‘we could have saved more lives’ in disasters

Members of Sri Lankan military rescue team work at the site of a landslide at Elangipitiya village in Aranayaka

By Amantha Perera

ARANAYAKE, Sri Lanka (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – For the first 48 hours after a huge landslide wiped out his hometown of Aranayake and buried 220 families, Prabath Wedage was on his mobile phone constantly.

“I have not been off the phone for five minutes,” said Wedage, who has been trying to coordinate consignments of relief supplies for 1,700 displaced people in 13 emergency shelters, including Rajagiri School, where he normally works.

In this devastated community – as in many disaster-hit places – the ubiquitous mobile phone and its social media apps are becoming a vital tool for relief and rescue workers, officials and families to share and gather information and keep in touch.

As Sri Lanka is hit with more disasters, from droughts to floods to landslides, making the most of the tools will be key curbing losses, experts say.

“We could have saved more lives if we had used these properly,” Wedage told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

He noted that it was only after last week’s landslide, which followed three days of incessant rain, that many residents begun to use social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to share disaster-related information.

But government agencies dealing with disaster management also have been slow to adopt social media as a tool, experts say.

NO FACEBOOK, NO TWITTER

The country’s Disaster Management Centre, the main government agency dealing with disasters, does not have an active Facebook page or Twitter account. It relies on daily or twice-daily fax updates and press releases to media.

It has the capacity to send text messages to all mobile phone subscribers in the island, but has rarely used that facility, according to Pradeep Koddiplli, a spokesman for the center.

The same is the case with the Meteorological Department, which has made its daily updates on its website more detailed, but is yet to get on to social media or use text messaging.

“We have looked into this, but we have to devise a mechanism that is tested and proven,” said Lal Chandrapala, head of Meteorological Department.

For now, Wedage said, people looking for quick information during disasters “have to wait until a TV channel or a radio station broadcasts these updates, and that is too late to save any lives. We need live updates.”

Others agencies, however, are already finding the value of turning to social media. As Sri Lanka was hit by 355 millimeters (14 inches) of rain last week, the Sri Lanka Red Cross (SLRC) relied heavily on its Twitter and Facebook platforms to get disaster-related information out.

In fact it was a SLRC tweet on the morning of May 19 that first alerted the nation to the enormity of the disaster. The tweet said 220 families were buried in the Aranayake landslide, while government officials balked at confirming a missing figure even 72 hours after the disaster.

The SLRC has also used social media to put out weather alerts, disaster warnings and relief and rescue information.

The organization’s aggressive push into social media has happened in part because of the lack of any other effective public warning system, said Mahieash Johnney, SLRC’s communications manager.

“In Sri Lanka we do not have a proper dissemination mechanism to reach people when it comes to natural disasters,” he said.

APPS TO THE RESCUE

Other smaller organizations also have taken to social media to give live updates and information during extreme weather.

Road.lk,, for instance, is a home-grown, user-fed information channel on road conditions, normally used to help drivers avoid traffic jams.

During the recent heavy rain, its Twitter feed and mobile app worked as a conduit for hundreds of bits of information aimed to help people deal with flooding and other problems, its creator Raditha Dissanayake told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

“Even this morning there were tweets telling people to get onto their roofs and wave blankets because rescue helicopters would be passing overhead. It’s unlikely that these people have access to radio or television but if their mobiles are still on, they can receive this information,” he said of the service, which has 22,000 Twitter followers.

PickMe, a local taxi app, also has introduced a flood relief button that allows users to donate flood-related relief material, and an SOS button that those trapped in flood waters can use to mark their location.

With no national media organizations providing constant live updates during the recent heavy rain, Roar.lk, a local current affairs website, began a live blog, while another, Yamu.lk, started a “How to help” page.

Road.lk’s Dissanayake feels that if such efforts could be better coordinated – preferably by a government body or large agency like the Sri Lanka Red Cross – they could be more effective and share key data.

“We believe that the data that we collect is quite useful to rescue effort organizers and we hope that we will be able to better coordinate with them in the future,” he said.

Johnney of the Sri Lanka Red Cross thinks it’s time public authorities harnessed the power of social media in their disaster management efforts.

“During the floods these few days, we have seen the power of social media,” he said. “When we needed to collect some items for flood relief, we just posted one message on Facebook and Twitter requesting donations. Within few hours, we had over 300 people at our headquarters.”

(Reporting by Amantha Perera; editing by Laurie Goering :; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, climate change, women’s rights, trafficking and property rights. Visit http://news.trust.org/climate)

Two Earthquakes strike Ecuador minor injuries, light damage reported

People gather on the streets minutes after a tremor was felt in Quito

By Alexandra Valencia

QUITO (Reuters) – Two earthquakes struck Ecuador’s coast on Wednesday, causing minor injuries and light damage in the same region where a magnitude 7.8 tremor killed more than 650 people last month.

Wednesday’s tremors, measuring 6.7 and 6.8 in magnitude, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, cut electricity in some coastal areas and sent people running into the streets as far away as the highland capital of Quito, witnesses said.

President Rafael Correa said the epicenter of the first one overnight was the fishing village of Mompiche on the Pacific coast, about 368 km (229 miles) from Quito.

“There are some light injuries because people ran out, or bumped into things,” Correa said on state television, adding there was also some minor damage, mainly to infrastructure already hit by the April disaster.

There was no tsunami warning.

The second tremor struck just before midday, according to the U.S. Geological survey.

The April 16 earthquake, Ecuador’s worst in nearly seven decades, flattened buildings along the coast.

As well as the fatalities, the tremor also injured more than 6,000 people, made nearly 29,000 homeless, and caused an estimated $2 billion in damage, according to the government’s latest tally.

Correa described Wednesday’s first tremor as another aftershock from the April quake. “Despite the alarm and the scare and the possibility of new damage … it’s normal, you expect aftershocks for two months after,” he said.

Ecuador’s 110,000-barrel-per-day Esmeraldas refinery was working at 77 percent capacity after some operations were halted due to the first quake on Wednesday, the government said before the second tremor.

(Reporting by Alexandra Valencia; Writing by Andrew Cawthorne; Editing by Alexandra Ulmer and James Dalgleish)

Relief Efforts Intensified as Death Toll in Afghanistan and Pakistan Continues to Climb

Monday’s 7.5-magnitude earthquake that struck Afghanistan and Pakistan and sent tremors into India and Tajikistan has now claimed the lives of over 250 people according to multiple news agencies.

The exact number still isn’t clear as various news agencies report anywhere from 260 to 339 people being killed by the earthquake. The quake also injured 2,000 people, damaged around 6,000 homes, cracked walls to other buildings, and shut down power.

According to the Associated Press, relief organizations have finally reached some of the more remote and impoverished areas that were affected by the earthquake. The United States has also offered supplies and aid that has been stored in warehouses around Afghanistan.

Officials believe that the death toll will continue to rise as there are several remote areas and fallen buildings that have not been reached by rescue efforts.

“We believe the exact numbers are much higher because not all people bring the bodies to the hospitals so there are many that are not being counted. And there are still areas we don’t have access to so we are not aware of the situation there,” Qameruddin Sediqi, an adviser to the public health minister, told Fox News.

Reuters reported that the Taliban has also called its people to help out with the relief efforts and to stay out of the way of aid groups.

“The Islamic Emirate calls on our good-willed countrymen and charitable organizations to not hold back in providing shelter, food and medical supplies to the victims,” the group said in a message of condolence to quake victims, using its formal name.

“And it similarly orders its mujahideen in the affected areas to lend their complete help.”

The quake has also caused landslides. The Pakistan Geological Survey reported to BBC News that landslides disrupted the Karakoram highway between Gilgit and Baltistan.

Afghanistan Earthquake Death Toll Rises to 180 from 7.5 Quake

The death toll is rising by the hour in Afghanistan and in Pakistan after a 7.5 earthquake struck at 1:39 pm local time Monday afternoon.  According to news sources, at least 180 people have died. That number is expected to rise.  The earthquake was centered about 28 miles south-southwest of Jarm, Afghanistan, and about 159 miles north-northeast of the Afghan capital of Kabul.

Officials are concerned about the mountainous area near the epicenter due to the vulnerability  landslides because of heavy rains in the last week and the porous nature of the soil.  

According to Reuters, Badakhshan provincial governor Shah Waliullah Adib said about 400 houses were destroyed but he had no figures on casualties.

“Right now we are collecting information,” he said.

Because so many people are cut off from communication, it will take time to know how extensive the damage and casualties will be.  

Scott Anderson, deputy head of office for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Kabul commented “The problem is we just don’t know. A lot of the phone lines are still down.”   

Among those killed were 12 girls who were trampled as they attempted to flee from their school and were crushed by the crowd attempting to leave the building through a stairway.  

Aftershocks are now being watched carefully as authorities feel more landslides will most likely to occur.  

Typhoon Dujuan Slams into Taiwan

With wind gusts over 150 miles per hour Typhoon Dujuan has slammed into Taiwan.  Dujuan has been categorized as a Super-typhoon and has left 24 injured as the incredible winds and massive rain battered the Island on Monday evening.

Most of the 24 people hurt suffered minor injuries, the island’s Emergency Operation Center said, many of them hit by flying debris.

More than 7,000 people have been evacuated in anticipation of the storm. About 200 people staying in emergency shelters.   

So far, more than 330,000 home are without electricity and tens of thousands of troops are on standby.  

Rainfall amounts have already reached 30 inches in some areas spawning fears of mudslides in the mountains.  

China has issued its top alert as the storm approaches the mainland.  

California Hit With Earthquake As Battles With Wildfires Continues

As if firefighters weren’t already having enough trouble trying to stop a deadly wildfire that has roared through parts of Lake, Napa and Sonoma counties in California, now they have to deal with earthquakes.

A magnitude 3.2 quake struck in Lake County early Tuesday morning.  The quake caused no significant damage to buildings in the region already threatened by the massive fire.

Officials said that the fires have claimed the life of one woman and has left four firefighters hospitalized.  Over 11,000 firefighters are now on the scene of a dozen wildfires in the state.

Cal Fire said the Valley fire that killed a woman had destroyed 585 homes and hundreds of other buildings.  The fire that began Saturday also caused a number of propane tanks to explode in the town of Middletown.

“This was a very destructive fire,” Cal Fire public information officer Daniel Berlant said Tuesday.

That fire burned 67,200 acres near Sacramento.  Another fire in the same area burned 71,780 acres and was only 40 percent contained.

Light rain has been helping fight some of the flames.  However, the rain has also caused problems with flooding in other areas.

Los Angeles received over an inch and a half of rain in a downpour which caused the Los Angeles River to flood. Several people had to be rescued from the rushing water.

Sinkhole Swallows Five People in China

A sinkhole opened under a bus stop in Harbin, China, pulling five people into the hole.

Bystanders helped the victims who fell 10 feet into the hole.  The victims suffered mostly minor injuries to the feet, legs, arms and shoulders.

Video of the incident was captured by the closed circuit camera of a nearby noodle shop showing one of the victims hanging on to pipes to avoid falling into the hole.  The bus stop sign also fell.

Chinese officials say they do not know the cause of the sinkhole.

Typhoon Goni Hammers Japan

Typhoon Goni has slammed into Japan with wind gusts topping 112 m.p.h. and has left as many as 26 people dead and over 100 injured.

Officials in Japan urged more than 600,000 people to flee their homes and to seek shelter.

The storm made landfall around 6 a.m. in Kumamoto prefecture.  The storm then crossed over one of the country’s four main islands before heading into the sea of Japan and striking North and South Korea.

The storm essentially paralyzed the country, with air and rail service suspended during the course of the storm.  Over 470,000 homes were without power at one point during the storm’s crossing of the nation.

Officials say at least one man is confirmed missing and presumed dead in a landslide caused by the torrential rain.  The city of Hiroshima ordered the evacuation of 70,000 because of potential landslides.

The storm had previously left 26 dead in the Philippines with 15 still reported as missing.  Thousands of homes were destroyed and hundreds of thousands have been left with no shelter because of storm damage.

The typhoon is beginning to break up as the eye has collapsed but heavy rain is still pouring into North and South Korea.  North Korean officials say that at least 40 people have died because of storm related flooding and over 1,000 homes have been damaged.

Chinese Firefighter Rescued After Being Trapped 32 Hours

In what might be the only good news to come out of the massive explosion at a Chinese port late Wednesday, a lone firefighter was found alive after 32 hours of being classified as “missing” by Chinese authorities.

The 19-year-old firefighter, Zhou Ti, was quickly rushed to a local hospital where it was reported he has significant injuries to his face, chest and feet.  Fire officials said that they are continuing to search for other missing fire personnel.

“Forces from all sides are searching for the (remaining) missing firefighters,” Tianjin Fire Department head Zhou Tian said at a news conference Friday, according to The Associated Press.

Chinese government officials confirmed that 56 people have died because of the explosion including 21 firefighters.  Over 700 remain hospitalized because of blast related injuries.

Western officials are now asking if the firefighters contributed to the intensity of the explosions because many of the chemicals reportedly stored at the site react with water to form explosive compounds.

David Leggett, a chemical safety expert, told Reuters that calcium carbide reacts with water to form acetylene, a highly explosive gas.  That could have ignited ammonium nitrate that was stored at the facility. (By comparison, ammonium nitrate and acetylene were used by terrorist Timothy McVeigh in the Oklahoma City bombing.)

“In my mind, the presence of ammonium nitrate makes it easier to explain the level of devastation,” he told the news agency.

Chinese City Rocked by Massive Explosion

A massive explosion ripped through parts of the Chinese city of Tianjin Wednesday causing at least 300 reported injuries and seven deaths.

“The hospital cannot count how many patients we have received – there are too many of them and many of them have burn injuries,” an unidentified doctor told the London Guardian newspaper.  He said that doctors who had been in Beijing for a conference are being rushed back to the community because of the amount of injured.

The Chinese Seismological Network reported two major explosions, the first equivalent to the detonation of 3 tons of dynamite and the second which took place 30 seconds later equivalent to 21 tons of dynamite.

China’s state broadcaster, CCTV, reported that the explosions took place at a container port where flammable material was being stored.  The initial blast also triggered secondary blasts that residents reported feeling similar to earthquake tremors.

The blasts shattered windows and in some cases blew apart fish tanks in homes of nearby residents.

Chinese Public Security Ministry released information that they initially were called to the scene because of a fire and that the explosions took place after they arrived on the scene.  At least four firefighters are injured and two have been reported to have “lost contact” with Ministry officials.