As incessant rain accompanied by strong winds disrupted rail, road and air services, uprooted trees, swamped homes, and brought Mumbai to a virtual standstill, lakhs of people were left stranded on the streets, bus stops and railway stations. The heavy water-logging in the city brought back the memories of deluge of July 2005 when over 500 people died in rain-related incidents. However, Mumbaikars this time had social media which they used effectively to offer help and opened not just their hearts but also their homes to those in distress.
Social media, often a platform for abuse and trolls, today became a medium of hope for many. The spirit of Mumbai rose up to the occasion with thousands tweeting out their addresses and phone numbers to provide help to those in need. Under the hashtags - #MumbaiRains and #RainHosts - one can find thousands of tweets with people offering shelter, food, wifi and some, even Netflix.
Mumbai Police that kept people updated all day through its twitter account appreciated the step by Twitterati.
Messaging app WhastApp was also used extensively to spread the message.
The campaign under #RainHosts was very organised with a spreadsheet listing all tweets also being shared on the micro-blogging website.
Here are some of the tweets:
