On 13/07 when terror returned to haunt Mumbai, rumours, torrential rain, clogged roads and jammed telephone lines made things worse as people were stranded. But his time people from across the country, especially Mumbai joined hands to help the needy through social networking sites such as twitter, facebook, skype and google.
Within minutes of the blasts, twitter hashtags like, #mumbaiblasts, #here2help, #needhelp and #mumbai started trending viscously. For those who were there to help used #here2help, offering up their homes/offices for victims to stay in, food, rides, and medical assistance.
For those needing help used #needhelp, people on the streets who didn’t know what was happening were given real time information by people who have access to reliable sources of news.
Twitter user Satyarth tweeted, "Food, support, time, companion, friend, blood (B +ve) - please feel free to ask fellow citizens. I am #here2help. I will do whatever I can."
Another Twitter user Sachin Malhotra tweeted, "#here2help... if taxis go off the road. Feel free to call and stay back at Chembur with my family."
A link to an editable Google Docs spreadsheet became a rage on twitter. It carried names, addresses and phone numbers of people offering different types of help. The document was created by Nitin Sagar an IT engineer in Delhi, 1,200km (720 miles) away.
The spreadsheet registered more than 430 entries within hours.
Dina Mehta tweeted: "Mumbai help spreadsheet -- offers of help across the city being compiled in an open doc spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/lv #mumbaiblasts"
It’s said, “When the going gets tough, the tough gets going,” and Mumbaikars proved it true on Wednesday. As Neville Shah tweeted: "What an evening. Thank you people of #heretohelp, #Here2Help, #mumbai. You've just been awesome."
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