Ellen Tordesillas sez Typhoon Ondoy is Gloria's fault

Before judging the actions of this top woman blogger, I had to step back and consider if I had done the same thing during disasters of the same magnitude as the one brought by Ondoy.

Then I realized, I don't have a lot of posts during the times of disasters and I haven't done enough during those times.

I only have one post, so far, devoted to Ramon Eugenio's cause and it is eating at me right now.

So, here's the deal, people.

Every time a disaster strikes, I plan to twitter and blog for the Philippine National Red Cross -- suspending all the usual commentary.

Now as for top woman blogger and her boyfriend, young chubby blogger, you ought to consider that your traffic can actually be useful during times of great national emergencies.

Here's an action plan of sorts that I'd like to work on with bloggers, twitterers, plurkers, and Facebook users.  It is modeled upon the action plan or idea for the PNRC's Project 143.

BEFORE A DISASTER.

1. Look for your locality on the Google Map.  Identify the houses and buildings in your area, note approximately how many people in each area.  If you can, note names and contact numbers of the people you know in that house or building.  Do this for houses or buildings within a 100 meter radius.

2. Find out if there are any potential hazards in your area.  Do you live near a river? Do you live near the seashore? How many feet are you from sea level? Do you live in a place that is congested and prone to fire? Do you live near a fault line?  Do live on a sloping area on a hill or mountain? Take note of this and also note the last time that such a disaster happened.

3. Find out what pre-cautionary measures are in place against disasters.  If you live near a river, are there dikes? Is there a reporting system in place where during a storm, people are detailed to watch if the dike is being breached and tell people to leave the area?  If you live in a congested area which is prone to fire, do you have the necessary warning systems and firefighting equipment?

DURING A DISASTER

1. Information is key and this is where your google mapping will be useful in mapping out the effects of the disaster in your area.  Give out the map of the area affected, along with the notes of the number of people in your area.

2. Post blog entries, twitters, plurks, and FB status updates alerting people of the disaster.

3. If you can get information, publish VERIFIED data on the people and areas affected.

AFTER A DISASTER

1. Post appeals on the internet for help, informing people how they can send goods in kind and where to drop it off.  As for cash donations, it is best to refer them to established organizations such as LGUs, the Red Cross, and media organizations.

I guess, this plan still needs a lot of work. I need help in developing this.