Chennai is facing one of its most trying times as it was hit by one of the century’s worst natural calamity. The recent Chennai flood has already taken the lives of more than 200 people so far. Testing times act as a unifying factor, and the people of the metro city have risen remarkably for the situation. And, cutting edge technology is coming to the rescue of people.
As the city is battered by incessant spells of rains, tech companies have ensured that the residents of the city are provided with all help possible.
Global giants to recent entries into the IT field have started initiatives so that the resident of the metro city remain connected, are safe and provided with food and fresh water.
Search Engine Giant, Google has launched a Crisis Response tool,’South India Flooding’ and have provided Chennai residents with emergency helpline numbers; crowd-sourced places and people offering refuge; crowdsourced maps of flooded streets and other such essential information.
Google is also showing important tweets, updated news and videos on Chennai floods.
Social media giant, Facebook has started its Safety Check feature for the Chennai floods. This feature helps friend and relatives to message that they are safe.
Major carriers are also offering free talk time and data to its customers in Chennai. The bill due to date has also been extended, and services will be continued even if they have not paid their bill.
Taxi Company, Ola Cabs is offering boat services for the marooned population of Chennai. The company gave this information on Twitter that it will ferry people in boats after the roads became flooded.
Whereas, Zomato has launched a delivery service through which people from and outside the city can buy food for anyone who does not have access to it and deliver it to them.
A friend in need is a friend indeed, and the Techs companies are living up to this adage in full measure.
