ON THE USE OF MOBILE PHONES IN EARTHQUAKE EMERGENCY RESPONSE

Natural disasters such as earthquakes bring in their chaotic and complicated situations in which people are terrified and hesitant. Therefore, accurate information is important at every stage, from early warnings to recovery phases. During the last few decades, the number of natural disasters such as earthquakes has shown a growing interest in how Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can help. In this regard, one of the solutions can be using mobile phones in developing countries, most of which are vulnerable to natural disasters and are badly affected when disastrous events strike. It should be noted that the distinctive contribution of mobile lies in its unique capacity to disseminate information quickly and informally from individual to individual, which can be of great value during the response phase of disasters. However, a good management is necessary in order to reduce the chaotic situation created by un-pre-planned and congested mobile calls. A careful study of the impact of mobiles makes it clear that the nature of communication needs differs at diverse phases of a disaster like an earthquake including all its phases. This paper firstly, discusses the importance as well as shortcomings of the mobile communications during and in the aftermath of earthquake disasters. As an example, the widespread availability that mobile phones have had on the relief and recovery efforts in disasters such as Iran Bam earthquake, 2003 is addressed. Finally, suggestions for more efficient use of mobile phones in a pre-planned earthquake emergency response will be presented.

کلیدواژه ها:

Mobile phones ، Earthquakes ، Emergency response ، Developing countries