The Tsunami Warning And Mahinda’s SMS
Giant man can presumably spot giant tsunami, and SMS everyone with his giant phone.
Everybody knew about the recent Sumatran earthquake because we felt it. Everybody knew about the (mercifully unrealized) tsunami warning because word got around. On the warning, issue, however, the government wasn’t very helpful or authoritative. I got what I considered official info from the US Geological Survey and international bodies and got the most up to date info over Facebook and Twitter. Which is fine, I guess, but the government should sorta have its shit together on this one. If only because the solution is really so simple.
For New Year and major holidays the PRESIDENT sends me an SMS. And, I think, everyone else with a phone. People get up in arms about the audacity or the waste of resources, but I don’t really care. He at least taught me to say Happy Avurudu in Tamil this year, enough that I could copy it into other messages. What I don’t get is why he couldn’t use the same service to issue a tsunami warning. I mean, it’s authoritative, and it reaches everyone, directly or indirectly.
Seriously Mahinda Maama. The Met Department is biting it and, really, are they family? Next time just send an SMS and, better yet, get your own Twitter account as well. While the Earth Hour SMS was vaguely edifying, I’d be more interested to know if the earth is moving, and if I could potentially die. Next time just send us all an SMS.
For a more in-depth discussion of Sri Lanka’s tsunami warning response, see my dad’s column in LBO – Sri Lanka Tsunami risk reduction in the age of Twitter
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With how prolific SMS usage/alerts are is in this country I’m wondering why they can’t figure it out. I’m subscribed to Ada Derana alerts, so I get my shit that way as well. Meanwhile I’m getting bombarded by SMS’s from Pizza Hut and other things I didn’t even subscribe to.