China floods: People unite on social media to help flood victims
Chinese are now using social media to speed up rescue efforts following the devastating floods that engulfed Henan Province.
At least 33 people have died there after a year's worth of rain fall in three days in Zhengzhou city.
The Weibo social media platform allowed users to connect people in danger or stuck with professional rescue teams.Some posts that mentioned people being trapped or asking to be helped have been removed from Weibo.
Millions of people are employed by the Chinese government to monitor and censor internet activity. Some social media posts were removed from the internet after past disasters, such as 2015's sinking of a Yangtze River ship. This was done to preserve stability and stop anti-government sentiment.With the floods in Zhengzhou, many people shared tales of horror and pleaded for help online. Social media users responded by directing thousands of Weibo posts towards emergency rescue teams to help them find their way.People created lists of every train number and any resources that passengers required when news broke that trains were becoming stranded due to submersion.After discovering that some people couldn't download images due to heavy rains, some created text-only versions for critical contact lists.
Also, people helped organize information streams, so it was current and precise.
Local media reports claim that residents near Tielu Railway Station delivered food and water to passengers stuck on trains after a hashtag was shared more than 800,000,000 times.
Some people focused on emergency rescue advice, while others shared mental health support and personal hygiene tips.A hashtag related to menstruation amid the floods had more than 200 million views. Doctors and social workers reminded women to change their sanitary pads frequently to avoid the risk of infection. Others provided addresses for locations where women could get free sanitary products.However, there have been instances where flood-related posts have been removed. Unfortunately, these are primarily from people who need help and not those who criticize the government.
Free Weibo is a site that checks whether posts are censored. It reports on people being trapped at schools, older adults who need oxygen, and thousands of people trapped on campus.
One comment asked if authorities should be held responsible.