IT access prevents panic

ACCESS to information and communication technology (ICT) and the internet can save people and organisations from the hassles and panic from warnings or rumours of tsunamis and other natural disasters.
This was the case for the Divine Word University in Madang during the tsunami warning yesterday as well as during a rumour of a tsunami in 2007.
The university’s elaborate ICT services and access to online communication came to the fore to help staff and students from unnecessary panic with up-to-the-minute information from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre in Hawaii, the United States.
DWU’s access to major international television networks such as CNN and BBC also helped with disseminating updated information at staff houses.
President of DWU, Fr Jan Czuba, ensured that the ICT Services Department kept all staff and students informed via its campus-wide intranet broadcast with the latest from the Tsunami Warning Centre.
Fr Czuba also posted an appeal for calm on the intranet.