As Odisha Deals With Cyclone Fani, Rest Of Us Need To Help And Be Responsible Online

Cyclone Fani has made landfall in Puri, Odisha, at around 8 am this morning.

With speeds up to 210 km/h, it's considered "extremely severe", and people have been evacuated from the general region. So if you're on the outside looking in, a few things to keep in mind.

If you're in the crisis region, or have friends you are, the phone lines are probably completely congested. Instead, if you want to let people know that you're safe, there are a few options.

Helping out

Facebook's Crisis Response page for Cyclone Fani here lets you mark whether you're in the affected area, and then mark yourself safe. Please don't abuse this if you're nowhere near the storm's center. The page also offers a collation of news stories so you can keep track.

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Additionally, searching for Cyclone Fani on Facebook shows you a box with a button allowing you to request or provide aid. This could be anything from medical supplies, to emergency transportation, to pet food. After all, we all need to stick together in hardship.

Google's Person Finder is also a great way to track missing survivors and the like, but unfortunately the company hasn't set up a page for Cyclone Fani. Instead, if you work for a rescue organisation, you can in fact do it yourself by following the instructions here.

Being responsible

Now, for those of you not in the danger zone, it's important to remember that people's lives are at stake here. So trying to share fake information and videos just for digital likes is not only a horrible thing to do, it can be destructive too.

If you come across a piece of news about the cyclone, make sure you vet it before sharing on social media or WhatsApp. Any fake news you contribute to spreading could end up causing unnecessary panic in Odisha, possibly even hampering evacuation and rescue operations. The same goes for supposed videos of footage from the area.

Staying safe

For those stuck in Odisha during this fearful storm, just a few things to remember. Don't pay attention to rumours you come across on WhatsApp and social media. Stick to the news, whether that's the Internet or TV, and verify across multiple sources.

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Keep your important documents and some currency safe and handy in waterproof pouches. That same goes for a basic survival kit, in case you and your family need to evacuate in a hurry.

And most importantly, don't panic.