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Sensible Netnonsense

Where Pinoy pop culture and the digital domain collide

by Ignatius Javellana, Philippines

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How social-networking media saved our lives

Nov 3, 2009 16:21

It has been more than a month since Ondoy (international name: Ketsana). Parts of Metro Manila--including our own subdivision--were submerged in 8ft high of floodwaters and more. In Karangalan Village, our village, in Cainta City and surrounding subdivisions, the waters did not recede for more than two days. And in other areas in the eastern part of Metro Manila, the waters were much higher and the devastation much worse.

My family and friends are alive today not only because of luck and sheer blessing, but because of the quick response and communication allowed by Plurk and Facebook.

In hindsight, it's quite funny to think that these sites provided the much-needed avenues for communication between us the victims and the willing saviors. But yes, it was the only way at the time.

Recounting the events

When Ondoy (Ketsana) hit, all of us were ill-prepared.

A close friend, her husband and month-old son came to visit the Friday night before, as a surprise to us godparents. They lived in Marikina, in the area closer to the river. We all slept soundly that evening, but when we awoke the next morning, we were shocked to see the water already rising fast and nipping at the heels of our frontdoor. In a matter of hours, the water was already seeping into the house.

Still groggy from a late evening, all of us had to frantically bundle everything we could from the first floor of our house and carry them up. We brought what we could as the water quickly made its way into our home. By noon, the water had already risen to our knees and thighs, and electricity and phone lines were out.

Drenched in the night Without electricity and phone lines, we had no idea how else to communicate with our friends and loved ones. The best we could muster were a few minutes of calls and text messages via mobile phone. The only radio we had was a tiny FM transistor radio.

At night, we had only a few candles, with about 11 of us squeezed into two bedrooms, including the month-old baby and another child. Thankfully, we had a portable gas burner and could cook the remaining food we had on it. We were also well-stocked with enough canned goods and biscuits to last us a few days.

While listening to the radio, the only show on FM that was broadcasting about the flooding was Jam 88.3 and the deejays at the time were from RockEd Radio. They were broadcasting text messages from their SMS line as well as posts via Plurk and Facebook. That was our only real link to what was happening at the time because by that time our phone batteries were all running low and there was nowhere else to get news from.

Plurk to the rescue

That's when we got the idea. A few of us had Plurk and Facebook accounts and knew that our friends and family members not inflicted by the flooding and blackouts would most likely be online. So we sent private messages via these two sites and were able to communicate what was going on, how we were, and what the situation was.

Of course, our situation wasn't as dramatic as our other friends and family's. Our goddaughter's home in Marikina was gone--under two story-high flood waters-—while our friends who lived closer didn't have second floors to their homes and were now living on their rooftops. We were able to send messages to people who had access and told them we needed boats and rescue in the area.

On the radio, we kept hearing stories and testimonies of how people would communicate via these social-networking channels to let friends of friends and family know that they needed help, or that they were ok, or that someone they knew was missing. The radio deejays made it a point to check their online accounts often and to share what news they would get with their listeners. And they stayed on for as long as they could.

It was amazing how the convergence of these technologies helped facilitate communication and rescue. It was breathtaking to see this form of "technological bayanihan" or "helping your neighbor through technology" unfold before our very eyes. Even if we were in a sorry state because of the floods and lack of basic needs such as candles and drinking water, the communication and compassion that came about because of these avenues made it bearable.

The aftermath

Sadly, the rescue came too late for some. Others had to spend two nights on their roofs before help came, while others even with a second floor had no food and water. My next-door neighbors lost everything in the flood because they didn't have a second floor. In all honesty, it could have been worse-—much, much worse. If it weren't for the vigilance and assistance that these avenues provided, we would have been in a worse-off state.

Immediately after the floodwaters subsided, I heard on the same radio station that relief operations were already underway, a lot of which were being coordinated by my friends, most of them done online. Right after the floods, there was also a flooding on the Internet of photos, blogs, comments and updates on the relief operations for the Ondoy victims. It was a sight to behold.

Even through the rubble and mud that Ondoy left, it was an awesome feeling seeing all of these things together. On Plurk, Twitter, Facebook, Friendster, Multiply and everything else you could connect to in the Philippines, people were talking and helping in their own way.

Sure, it took days before we could step outside our homes, weeks for our electronic appliances (including the refrigerator, computers and wall sockets) to dry out thoroughly, and almost a month for our electricity, phone and Internet access to be restored. We were still very grateful that everyone out there helped us out in one way or another. We survived because all of these things made it possible.

For more information on the typhoons and storms that hit the Philippines, and the amazing relief operations now taking place, do check out http://www.ondoyphotos.com. I'd also like to take this time to thank my Level Up! and ePLDT family for being extremely supportive of our situation and for being spot-on with their relief and calamity

assistance. And really, kudos to the guys over at Jam 88.3 for letting Rock Ed Radio do its thing that day.

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About Ignatius Javellana

Iggy Javellana, who is now the Head of Advergaming for Level Up! Games Inc., is what you would call a "wired" individual: Online practically 24/7. He's an avid gamer, satiric blogger, budding musician and independent film enthusiast, and still hopes to one day become a rock star.