Fires regularly occur in urban slums, often resulting from indoor stove use, trash burning, faulty wires and residents trying to keep warm. Rapid, unplanned development forces homes close together and allows fire to spread easily. Pathways between homes are narrow and often blocked, making evacuations chaotic and dangerous. Residents commonly do not know who to call for firefighting assistance, and if firefighters are available they have a difficult time finding and responding to fires quickly.
Red Cross Partners are piloting a project to solve this issue; a low-cost, smart home sensor system affixed to each home within the informal settlement.These maps we will be creating will directly help for program planning and decisions making, Additionally they will be used by the firefighters to effectively reach the fires in time to save lives and property.y natural hazards including continual flooding, landslides, storm risk, and regular earthquakes. In 2012, torrential rains resulted in flooding and landslides that severely damaged 397 houses and three bridges. 10 residents were killed with over 4,000 left displaced. It is estimated that with recent climate change, the coastal areas of the island will be more susceptible to flooding at increased regularity.
How to contribute Please join us by finding tasks relating to this project by searching Missing Maps on the HOT Tasking Manager. You can also host your own Missing Maps mapathon for friends and colleagues. Here’s a step-by-step guide and training materials to walk you through the process.
Interested in participating? Email mapgive@state.gov to learn more.