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Internet community mobilizes to help

A sign at a long distance bus station in Taipei yesterday lists seven routes that cannot be served because of roads destroyed by the torrential rain brought by Typhoon Morakot. PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES

The Internet community in Taiwan rallied yesterday to help people affected by the devastating flooding brought by Typhoon Morakot.

“I can’t do much, but I’ve ordered 10 cases [of bottled water] and sent them to disaster-hit areas in the south,” a Plurker identified as Philip0721 wrote on the Plurk Web platform late on Saturday night. “Each one of us, let’s all order 10 cases of bottled water for the south.”

Amanda, another Plurker, acted on that recommendation, while Shan Wen (善文), whose family runs a bottled water factory, said he would send a truckload of water to disaster zones.

“Let’s help each other, put all our donated items together, or call our friends,” Plurker Skstone wrote early yesterday morning. “It’s clear that the central government won’t do much.”

Internet user Xdite created a Web page for other fellow surfers to report emergencies and provided a map on the front page to show the location of the emergency calls.

“Four people have been trapped on the second floor at No.1-11 Silian, Silian Village, Siaying Township [下營], Tainan County, without any food since last [Saturday] night — we can’t get through to the county government or the media help hotline, please send some food, thanks!” a help seeker wrote in a message posted on the Web page.

“My 90-year-old grandmother and aunt have been missing since last night, I don’t know if they’ve been rescued,” another help seeker from Pingtung County said.

Using the online Google Maps service and with the help of several friends, Wanfang Hospital psychiatrist Billy Pan (潘建志) created a map marking disaster locations around the country.

Viewers can obtain detailed information about disaster areas by clicking on the map.
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