One effective way to warn the public of potential flooding is through the mobile phone in the form of text alerts.

In California the reverse 911 calls helped save a lot of lives by alerting residents to flee their homes that were endangered by wildfires.

In the Philippines the mobile phone is ubiquitous, with over 50 million users/subcribers (some even estimate the number of users at 70 million).

Text alerts, through this mobile communication device, can reach a wide number of the population swiftly, whether they are at home, at work, at school, or simply travelling/commuting. The users can, in turn, inform their family members and relatives, who could also be affected by the floods.

These warnings via text message would be a valuable public service that telecommunications companies could render to their subscribers.

The companies could offer subscription to the SMS flood alerts either for free or at a much reduced rate (e.g., 25 centavos or less). All the mobile phone user has to do is to subscribe to these alerts on potential flooding that could affect them and their homes.

As seen during the Ondoy and Pepeng typhoons, the mobile phone was a crucial device for people seeking rescue and help from authorities, from family and friends, and from private organisations. Government officials and concerned disaster management agencies should take their cue from the public—by timely provision of critical information on potential disaster situations through what most Filipinos have access to already—their mobile phone.