“As the ITIC tsunami information is updated on a freely-available website, the problem isn’t that the information is hidden — but you do have to go looking for it. Although there are RSS feeds for earthquake and hurricane information (and NOAA makes its national weather data freely accessible as a matter of policy), there’s no similar feed for tsunami warnings. This is unfortunate, as RSS is an ideal mechanism for distributing infrequent and irregular news updates.

Some have suggested the use of SMS as a medium for sending disaster alerts; the idea has merit, especially as an adjunct to (not replacement for) the traditional system. Most mobile phones these days support SMS, and an emergency alert message wouldn’t need to hit every phone in the affected region to be useful, just enough to spread the word. As long as the cellular networks remained functioning, the mobile phones could possibly even serve a role similar to that played by ham radios — emergency information and coordination. One could even imagine the introduction of a cellular network version of the venerable “emergency broadcast system” for TV and radio in the US, so as to ensure broad recognition that the message regards a possible disaster, and isn’t just more text spam.

The downside of a formal SMS “emergency alert” idea is that it would still require that a central, responsible authority call the alarm, at the very least to reduce the possibility of hoax or hacked use. If the organization in charge is unavailable for some reason — or, as in the case of this week’s tsunami, doesn’t recognize the possibility of a problem — a centralized cellular alert network wouldn’t be of much value. But alternatives are possible.

Imagine a site which collects storm/earthquake/tsunami/disease outbreak/etc. alerts and announcements, making information available by region. You can then register your SMS number or email address with the site, and give it your current location — changeable as you travel, of course — so the site can send you updates and alerts. RSS might also work, although one would want the RSS reader to check for updates far more frequently than is typical; a half-hour delay receiving a tsunami alert (for example) could prove fatal. The system could flag those events of particular import, and even provide short safety notices for responding to the particular danger (e.g., “seek higher ground” or “avoid contact with birds”). Imagine how many people could have survived this week’s tsunami if a small number had received warnings on their mobile phones and told those around them.