A new era in disaster relief
Between 2008 and 2013, the number of cellphone users in world’s developing nations nearly doubled, with 2.5 billion new subscribers bringing the total to more than 6 billion. That massive change has many social and economic ramifications. For disaster relief workers it means firsthand news from the front lines, more opportunity for locals to serve as first responders, and a need for vigilance in making sure those with the loudest digital voices don’t claim a disproportionate share of relief resources. The promise of technology in humanitarian disaster response is the subject of a new report released Thursday during a seminar webcast from the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative’s (HHI) offices in Cambridge. The event drew representatives from HHI, the American Red Cross, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Telecommunication Union, and IBM. “The 2013 World Disasters Report: Focus on Technology and the Future of Humanitarian Action” was issued...