Thousands of mobile phone subscribers sent text messages asking for help at the height of flashfloods that submerged their homes on September 26, 2009, when telephone and power lines were cut off in many parts of Luzon.  Although help came a day or two days later, and for many, did not come at all, flashflood victims were able to send SOS through SMS to radio and television stations and the hotlines of government agencies during the time they needed help the most.

"Despite damages on our equipment, we were getting anecdotal evidence that we had signals in calamity areas," said Mr. Ramon Isberto, spokesman of Smart Communications and Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. or PLDT.

"Even in areas that were flooded, we were able to provide coverage. That's why people were able to send text," said Isberto. "I personally handled three cases and attended to their problems through my cell phone."

Radio station DZMM, which also broadcasts its programs on television, was swamped by "thousands" of text messages from people asking for help from their roofs.  Isberto said the density and design of the Smart network enabled the telecom firm to provide a means of communication to people when it is needed the most.

The only thing that prevented people from keeping their mobile phones active was power interruption.  "That is why it is important to conserve the power of cellphone batteries during times like this," Isberto said.

Globe Telecom also took initiative to help the typhoon victims.  "Apart from the service restorations, Globe is also involved in the larger relief operations via our donate a load services with Red Cross and set up of Libreng Tawag offers with OWWA apart from making cash donations of P1 million each to Sagip Kapamilya and Kapuso Foundation.  Our business centers welcome relief goods (not cash)."

Globe said its stores will accept relief goods (except cash) during mall hours in Metro Manila.

Although most text messages were helpful in the rescue operation, some text messages were meant to cause panic.  A text message read: "If you have friends and families along Marcos highway, tell them to stay on a high area because authorities are about to open Marikina Dam. It will affect Marikina, Pasig area and lower Antipolo. So please pass for faster dissemination."

Authorities denied the text message, saying there is no such thing as a Marikina dam.

Mobile phone companies have opened lifelines to facilitate the flow of assistance to flood victims.

"Cell phones kept people connected during the crisis. People were busy calling and texting to inform their families of their whereabouts and their plans to go home. Field personnel of media and government agencies relied on their handhelds to call in the latest reports," Smart Communications said.

"Mobiles mattered most in the hard-hit areas of Marikina, Pasig, Cainta and the towns of Rizal. There, cell phones were a matter of life and death.  Families stuck on roof tops repeatedly called and sent text messages to their relatives who in turn called the authorities and others desperately asking for help," it added.

Immediately after the flood, Smart said it set up Libreng Tawag centers in Cainta, Marikina, San Mateo and Pasig and gave the people there a chance to call relatives and friends here and abroad to seek help or just to say they were safe.

For its part, Globe Telecom said it is offering free remittance services via GCash Remit from September 30 to October this year to extend help to overseas Filipino workers' families affected by the onslaught of Typhoon Ondoy by making it less burdensome for their relatives abroad to send money back home.

"This is open to all Gcash Remit partners and customers so overseas Filipinos sending money to the Philippines and their beneficiaries receiving this enjoy free remittance services during the period," it said.

At the height of typhoon ‘Ondoy’, Smart subscribers reached for their cell phones and found them working.

“Maraming salamat sa SMART sa magandang signal nila kahit na binagyo na ang Cainta. Napakahalaga ng komunikasyon sa panahon ng mga kalamidad upang makipag-ugnayan sa mga kinuukulan at mga pamilya ng biktima, (We thank SMART for maintaining their signal in Cainta during the storm, which enabled us to reach authorities and family members)” said Junior Bona, a resident of Cainta.

With the need for communications even more vital in times of disasters, Smart immediately set up Libreng Tawag centers at the Barangka Barangay Hall in Marikina City, Ever Gotesco Mall in Pasig City and at the Cainta Municipal Hall to enable affected residents to make free calls.  This was crucial since SMART was still available in these areas even if operations had been affected by the floods and the succeeding power shortages.

“Lumubog po ang bahay namin.  Ang tatay ko naglilinis pa kaya inutusan niya ako tumawag kay mama sa Singapore. Nagpapasalamat kami sa Libreng Tawag ng Smart.  Kung wala nito, siguradong hanggang ngayon nag-aalala pa rin ang nanay ko kung ano na ang nangyari sa amin, (Since my father had to clean our house, which was submerged in floodwaters, he sent me to the Libreng Tawag Center to call my mom in Singapore.  If not for SMART, my mother would still be worrying about us.)” said Trisha Zapanta.

Even before ‘Ondoy’ struck, Smart had already mobilized its service watch command center to better mobilize troubleshooting and response in case any of its service facilities were affected by the typhoon.

Hence, employees and contractors were immediately deployed in the storm’s aftermath to re-activate 1,081 of Smart's s base stations that had experienced downtime either because they had been destroyed by the floods or lacked power supply.

Two days after ‘Ondoy’ unleashed its fury, Smart was able to restore some 811 or 75 percent of the base stations that had been affected.

Tropical storm Ondoy lashed the country Saturday causing severe flooding in several areas.  The whole of Metro Manila and 25 Luzon provinces were placed under a state of calamity. SMART’s typhoon Ondoy relief operations is part of Kabalikat sa Kaligtasan, its disaster-response and emergency preparedness program and the ‘Community Care’ program of the Customer Care Experience Center.

Meanwhile, public school teachers participating in a rainfall monitoring project of Smart Communications, Inc. can now report their rainfall data via text messaging.

Smart unveiled the mobile application during the 3rd Project Rain Gauge Convention, which was attended by teacher representatives of partner schools under the Smart Schools Program that have been taking part in a collaborative effort to monitor rainfall in their respective communities.

The application, developed by the Ateneo Java Wireless Competency Center, runs on Java-enabled phones.  It complements the existing system of reporting rainfall via the Web. Using their Smart or Talk ‘N Text cell phones, teachers participating in Project Rain Gauge can send rainfall data via SMS free of charge. 

Launched in August 2007, Project Rain Gauge is spearheaded by Smart with valuable support provided by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the KLIMA Climate Change Center, Manila Observatory, and the Department of Education.

At the forefront of the project is a network of schools that maintain rain gauges provided by SMART within their campuses to help provide supplementary data on local rainfall measurement in specific areas.  From a core group of 17, there are now 50 SSP partner-schools participating in the undertaking.

“With these recent improvements and other future enhancements, plus your continuous dedication, Project Rain Gauge can be so much more than just an exercise in science learning.  It can become a vital source of information that may be utilized by science agencies like PAGASA as a potential community-based early warning system,” said Darwin Flores, community partnership manager of Smart.

Data sent via text messaging is automatically recorded and tabulated in the rainfall data page of the new project website http://www.projectraingauge.ph/, hosted and maintained by SMART.  The web site contains news updates and features, resources, as well as the rainfall data page which presents the data gathered and submitted by the schools, consolidated in charts and graphs.

An online report form, accessible only to the participating schools, is incorporated into the website.  It contains fields pertaining to the date of the reading, the amount of rainfall measured in millimeters, the prevailing weather phenomenon on said day, plus any additional remarks.

The teachers were also taught how to infuse Project Rain Gauge in the Science curriculum.  Susan Espinueva, assistant weather services chief of the HydroMetrological division of PAGASA, conducted a lecture and workshop on the development of a lesson plan based on topics related to rainfall.

Espinueva lauded the schools and underscored the great potential of Project Rain Gauge.  “We can use the data in the ground truthing and verification of radar estimates, and in our regular climate forums where we analyze rainfall.”

The schools were also asked to submit GPS coordinates for the exact location of their school rain gauges as these will be considered among PAGASA’s weather stations.

Vicente Manalo III, weather specialist at the Farm Weather Services Section of PAGASA, was on hand to advise the teachers on how to install and operate a digital rain gauge.  He also conducted a review of the weather systems that cause rain, the procedure and frequency of observing and recording rainfall, plus the application of rainfall measurement.

Based on Press Releases of Smart and Globe