Airtel Kenya and the Kenya Red Cross Society have teamed up in the deployment of the first public emergency information service in Kenya that will offer disaster management information on disease outbreaks and other emergencies such as fires, floods and terrorist attacks. The service will run on a location-targeted SMS system called Trilogy Emergency Relief Application (TERA) sending users texts containing disaster warnings, health advice and updates on emergency preparedness and responses in cases of emergencies or outbreaks.
The alerts will encompass advice, which is information meant to keep the community up to date with the various developments. It will include watch and act alerts, tailor-made for the community impacted by the emergency and what measures to take in order to protect their life. It will also offer emergency warnings, where actions need to be taken immediately. It will further carry questionnaires aimed at informing the masses on the services of the Kenya Red Cross as well as areas of improvement in their activities. The service will aid in key areas of disaster relief by also offering information on relief distributions such as clean water, food and shelter, detailed advice on a range of issues such as hygiene.
The service will be offered to Airtel Kenya customers. Kenya Red Cross is planning to partner with other Mobile Service providers to ensure all Kenyans receive such information first hand. Kenya is the second country in Africa, in which the TERA system has been deployed after Sierra Leone during the height of the Ebola Crisis.
