Thursday, September 26, 2013

Twitter Introduces A New Alert System For Emergencies And Disasters


Twitter Introduces An Alert System For Emergencies, Disasters -- Reuters

(Reuters) - Twitter, which is preparing for its initial public offering, said on Wednesday it will help users receive special alerts from government agencies and aid agencies during emergencies.

Users who sign up will receive smartphone notifications via the Twitter app as well as SMS text messages - assuming they agree to handover their cell phone numbers - from any of several dozen agencies who have signed on to the program.

The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency, Tokyo's Disaster Prevention service and the World Health Organization are among those participating.

The alerts program starts a year after Twitter showcased its potential as a lifeline during Hurricane Sandy, when stranded residents on the eastern U.S. seaboard reported the storm's progress and sought help on the mobile network.

Read more ....

My Comment: Such a service makes sense .... and I suspect that it will become popular very quickly .... especially in disaster areas.

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