Two Billion SMS Messages Sent for Flood Alert Coverage in Farvardin
According to the head of Iran’s Information Technology Organization, “In total during this year’s Farvardin month, we sent over two billion SMS messages (excluding flash messages) related to flood alert coverage to the people.”
Amir Nazemi explained: “According to global statistics, 70 percent of damages caused by events such as floods can be prevented solely through proper awareness and alert coverage. In other words, if we only conduct proper information dissemination at the time an event like a flood occurs, we will reduce 70 percent of the costs.”
The flooding that dominated Iranian news during the first two weeks of Farvardin caused approximately 40 trillion tomans in damages and at least 77 deaths, and according to one report affected the lives of at least 12 million people in the country.
Iranian government officials, particularly in the initial days, were clearly caught off guard by the widespread flooding, and the manner of managing this crisis drew criticism from both the public and officials alike.
Source: Radio Farda
