Chennai rains: Half a million tweets within 24 hrs

The good Samaritans of the Tamil Nadu capital cohered and helped those in needy by co-ordinating through Twitter

With hashtags like #ChennaiRains, #ChennaiFloods, #ChennaiRainsHelp doing rounds, a staggering half a million tweets have been posted (as of Thursda morning) with relation to the relentless rains that are sweeping the Tamil Nadu capital.

Chennai citizens have turned to social media, especially Twitter, to report and share helpline numbers, crisis relief efforts and safety tips since telephone and mobile connections were down and constant call drops.

Residents in Chennai were tweeting with these three hashtags to help in organised rescue operations, aid government bodies, amplify crucial messages to citizens, warn citizens in key affected areas, and provide a sense of real-time support to citizens caught in the floods.

On Twitter, users can find the latest information on flooded areas, forecast updates, train schedules, taxi services, helpline numbers, and crisis relief programmes. Additionally, photos and videos are shared on the platform, providing citizens with a real-time view of what is going on in the streets of Chennai, according to Twitter.

"The real-time, public nature of Twitter enables the platform to be used in times of crisis for disaster relief and emergency management. For the Chennai floods, we are seeing a great response as citizens are actively reporting on the situation from different parts of the city, and sharing it on Twitter. More than that, residents are crowdsourcing the most useful Tweets that will help fellow Indians with crisis relief tips, safety measures, and forecast updates. It is amazing to see the community unite to provide assistance and save lives, one Tweet at a time," according to an official statement from Twitter.

The aim is to reach out for help through Twitter and offer shelter to the stranded. Help is being crowdsourced through tweets, many of which have been compiled on to a Google spreadsheet.

The table, which is being constantly updated, includes details on the areas where shelter is available, the number of people that can be accommodated, the Twitter handle as well as the contact number. Some users have even included notes like ‘pets welcome’.

There is also a provision for those who need help to post their location or on behalf of someone else. Another section specifies the need for other amenities, such as medical help. All the information on this spreadsheet have been gleaned from Twitter and is meant to be a ‘central repository of stranded people’, as described by Twitter users.

Contact numbers of rescue teams, co-ordinating agencies and others, along with traffic details and instructions were also shared through the social media.

Facebook has also become an important tool for many to share information and share information on availability of basic amenities including food, shelter and clothes for the people in the flood hit areas.