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    How Social Media Came To The Rescue After Kerala's Floods

    Volunteers are using Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp to find out what people need and give them vital information on how to survive.
    by Kamala Thiagarajan Aug 22, 2018 4 minutes
    The Border Security Force distributes food and water in the aftermath of the flooding in Kerala. Online volunteers helped find out what people needed to get by — and shared public health messages.

    Devastating rainfall followed by treacherous landslides have killed 210 people since August 8 and displaced over a million in the southern Indian state of Kerala. India's National Disaster Relief Force launched its biggest ever rescue operation in the state, evacuating over 10,000 people. The Indian army and the navy were deployed as well.

    But they had some unexpected assistance.

    Thousands of Indian citizens used mobile phone technology and social media platforms to mobilize relief efforts.

    Some of them lent a hand to bigger players who'd stepped in. Charity organizations such as , which has been operating in India since the 1950s, used its , to collect. Just a few days after the flooding, they had received enough funding for over 10,000 kits.

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