TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) celebrated the Disaster Risk Reduction Day - which falls on October 13 - by launching a disaster-preparedness app called the "Mass Rapid Assessment" (MRA).
PMI Head of Public Relations Anggun Permana Sidiq, said in Jakarta that the Android-based app was created to increase disaster-preparedness among Indonesians, as well as to increase the capacity of the general public to react to natural disasters when it strikes.
"Through the MRA app, residents could upload real time information about an incident and/or a disaster directly from their phones," said Anggun.
She explained that such information could be useful for other residents in the area, as well as for PMI as it would make identifying the kind of disaster and consequently, the appropriate response to the disaster, much faster.
"The app could be downloaded from Google Play, or through https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ecc.dma," said Anggun.
Anggun said that the MRA app is one out the three applications that PMI plans to launch in the near future. She hopes that by utilising technology to crowdsource information about disasters, residents would be more aware that a disaster is a shared problem that impacts everyone in the affected community.
"We also hope that raise public awareness that the aftermath of a disaster could be lessened if residents are more prepared," she said.
ANTARANEWS
