Chinese Gov. Sends Text Messages to Clear Residents from Flood Danger
From Smart Mobs: Chinese govt. uses texting to warn 150,000 of flood danger - The Chinese government successfully used text messages to warn thousands of people of flood danger in advance:
"More than 150,000 people in southwest China survived an early morning flood thanks to timely government warnings delivered by mobile phone text messages, loudspeakers and door-to-door visits. "The flood was so sudden I would have drowned if I had not received the messages," said Zhang Xue'an, a resident of Qujiang in Quxian in Sichuan Province. He began to receive messages on his mobile phone on July 3, and was told by local flood control authorities that a flood was only a few days away. He bought biscuits and bottled water, which proved very useful when his home was flooded three days later and water and gas supplies were cut off. About half of the 150,000-strong residents in Qujiang have mobile phones, which means text messages are a very rapid means of spreading flood information."
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