Civil protection agency sends SMS to Romans : "Stay Home"

Following Italy's blackout early Sunday morning, hitting most of Italy except for the islands of Sardinia and Capri and several limited areas on the mainland — a Civil Protection Agency sent text messages to Roman cellphones asking residents to remain home unless absolutely necessary. [NY Times]

It's a good thing to remember, that text messaging should be used in an emergency:

-- Last May, The Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association (CTIA), reminded all Americains in a press release, that text messaging was the fastest, most efficient and reliable way to communicate in the event of an emergency. And that wireless users should rely on text messaging in crisis situations, allowing for people who need to make voice calls - emergency responders and 911 callers - to get through more easily.

-- During last summer's massive power blackout in the Eastern US, mobile phone service was unavailable for many -- text messsage services remained largely functional. cf In the Blackout, cell failed but text prevailed.

emily | 12:06 AM | News, Buzz |
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