Earthquakes & PubSafe
People Helping People
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Beyond Government Response Capabilities
Earthquake Disasters
Earthquakes represent one the most potentially deadly natural disasters encountered. Fortunately large earthquakes are relatively rare. When a large earthquake takes place it is measured around the world. The impact on community or region can be significant. In many countries with few, or no, building codes, a mid-level earthquake can have the same impact as a large earthquake in other areas.
The US Geological Service (USGS) is responsible for monitoring earthquakes in the USA and contributes globally. Earthquakes are exceptionally dangerous because they can produce not only building destruction but also tsunamis and landslides. Fires can erupt from broken gas lines. Traffic and the economy can be impacted by ruined roads and the repair process for months or years.
“The Northridge earthquake in California in 1994, caused $20,000,000,000 in damages and another 40,000,000,000 in economic loss in just a few seconds.”
PubSafe Improves Earthquake Rescue Efforts
PubSafe offers a few functions that support an efficient earthquake response. Since there is no warning in most cases, a users last-known location may be the only clue which enables family to find you. When user’s post help requests and situation reports, other users and potentially government agencies (not guaranteed to be monitoring) can see where the most posts are coming so assets can be allocated efficiently.
Help requests and emergency requests through PubSafe provides key information. First, the exact location of the victim is provided using the phone’s GPS. If seriously injured, this can be significant to the outcome. Second, sharing exactly what is needed for an effective response. When responders can bring the right resources, they can be significantly more efficient. Providing photos or video through the PubSafe app paints a picture otherwise not available.
The PubSafe data structure is highly important to sharing information in a way that facilitates efficiency. By selecting data from a list, the data can be analyzed and shared. Free form text is still allowed but it is less important to finding the correct asset to respond.