“Ufone and Mobilink mobile users can donate 3 rupees to earthquake
victims by sending an SMS with DONATE to number 346. You can repeat the
process for whatever amount you want to donate. The money will be
deducted from your mobile balance and goes directly to people suffering
from disaster,” says a posting from the Pakistan relief site.
There are links to Earthquake Reports, Missing People and Relief Work.
As with the devastating tsunami which wreaked havoc in Asia less than a
year ago, the Internet and mobile communications are being quickly
harnessed in the aftermath of the October 8th South Asia earthquake to
provide aggregated coverage, interactive services for people to contact
missing loved ones, or to transact donation drives. Coverage of the
disaster (with 30,000+ victims and still counting) is all over the
media in India and Pakistan. Indian and Pakistani newspapers are
wondering whether the calamity will lead to the two South Asian rivals
co-operating in relief operations and give a much needed boost to the
ongoing peace process, according to a BBC article.
Other sites with blog posts include the South Asia Quake, Saleem India Blog, Metblogs, and even a Pakistani engineer’s blog.
International sites with reports on humanitarian efforts include Reuters’ Alertnet (with maps and a Factbox of deadly earthquakes), and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
