OK ok ok! Doh cuss eh! This post is like 4 days late, but better late than never. I actually started to write this post on Thursday, BUT I got caught up doing some other things and i just haven't gotten a chance to write it until now.
Firstly, forgive the horrible title, it's all i could come up with. lol. Anyways, i wanted to deal w/ the whole issue of the earthquake and how "technology" could be used in this sitation to calm things down and to get the information to where it needs to be in a timely manner. One of the characteristics of information is that it should be timely and accurate. After the big shake up, those who were near the quad assembled by the trees near the food court and were advised to leave campus as there would be no more classes for the day. One of the public address systems I had the joy of experiencing was the alarm. The buzzing/beeping sound that resonated throughout campus. I guess it simply meant "Danger!". A suggestion however is that maybe UWI could invest in a public address system. A series of speakers and monitors around campus specifically for emergencies such as this to give instruction and direct students what to do and where to do. Some people probably didn't know that classes were cancelled for the rest of the day, so that's just one suggestion.
I not even going to touch the whole cellphone network no-service...i mean service issue. In 2001, when the WTC and Pentagon was attacked, the network was congested and voice calls could not go though the network. People used SMS to communicate to their loved ones around the country. I think they have more contingencies in place for such an event these days however. It was a lil bit different here though, everything went down. lol. No text messages or voice calls period from the cellular circuits. However in TSTT's defence, I understand that some of their sites lost power and well, that's why the network went down. I see a need for emergency communication that is effective and affordible to be created(if not already in existence). Maybe one of us IT students could fix something up? hmm? food for thought. I don't want to have to wonder where my people are after something like this or God forbid, worse happens. I've never witnessed a terrorist attack, but I distinctly remember getting up from under the desk in the reading room, looking around at the shattered light covers on the ground and the still shaking bookshelves in the Eng Dept and wondering where my friends and family were and if they were safe. I don't want that to EVER happen again. There is a need for this sorta communication now!