Educational Resources
Learn from past emergencies. Prepare for the next one.
A reference library for citizens, responders, and planners: a log of major disasters and what they taught us, the data behind crisis response, and practical safety protocols for before, during, and after an emergency.
Disaster log
Recent emergencies where communication failure shaped the outcome — and the lesson each one leaves behind.
2023
Türkiye–Syria earthquakes
M7.8 and M7.5 earthquakes killed over 50,000 people. Cellular networks across the affected zone failed within hours, leaving survivors unable to call for rescue from under rubble.
Lesson: Offline mesh relay and anonymous SOS matter most in the first 72 hours.
2022
Pakistan floods
One-third of the country was submerged; 33 million people were affected and over 8 million displaced. Damaged roads and towers cut entire districts off from coordination.
Lesson: Store-and-forward delivery keeps requests alive until any connection appears.
2022–present
War in Ukraine
Sustained strikes on power and telecom infrastructure produced repeated regional network outages, separating families and slowing evacuation and aid delivery.
Lesson: Family reunification tools and device-to-device messaging must not depend on towers.
2023
Morocco earthquake
A M6.8 earthquake in the High Atlas Mountains killed nearly 3,000 people. Remote villages were unreachable by road and without signal for days.
Lesson: Coarse-location payloads under 250 bytes can route help to places maps cannot.
2023
Libya floods (Storm Daniel)
Dam collapses in Derna killed over 4,000 people. Warning and coordination systems failed, and entire neighborhoods were washed away before help could be organized.
Lesson: Early, verified alerts — not just response — decide outcomes.
The data behind crisis response
Figures from international monitoring bodies. For full sources and methodology, see the crisis data table on the home page.
399
natural hazard disasters recorded in 2023
CRED / EM-DAT
26.4M
disaster displacements in 2023 — 56% of all new internal displacement
IDMC
59
state-based conflicts in 2023, the highest count since 1946
UCDP / PRIO
$202.7B
property and infrastructure damage from disasters in 2023
CRED / EM-DAT
250,000+
open missing-persons tracing cases in active conflict zones
ICRC
72 hrs
the golden window — survival rates fall sharply after the third day
UN OCHA / INSARAG
Safety protocols
Practical checklists for every role — before, during, and after an emergency.
Before an emergency
- ✓Save your offline city pack while you still have connectivity — maps, first-aid guides, and resource directories.
- ✓Fill in your digital Medical ID: blood group, allergies, conditions, and an emergency contact (ICE).
- ✓Agree on a family reunification plan: a meeting point and an out-of-area contact person.
- ✓Keep a power bank charged; mesh relay works best when more phones stay alive.
During an emergency
- ✓Get to safety first — then send an SOS. A Tier 0 anonymous SOS works in under 3 seconds, no account needed.
- ✓Include your emergency type and a short note; your GPS coordinates attach automatically.
- ✓If there is no signal, send anyway — the SOS queues on your device and relays through nearby phones.
- ✓Conserve battery: dim the screen, close other apps, keep the mesh running.
Helping others safely
- ✓Only offer shelter, water, power, or food through a verified (Tier 1 or Tier 2) identity.
- ✓Never share a victim's location or personal details outside the responder channel.
- ✓Follow responder instructions on the incident board; do not self-deploy into hazard zones.
- ✓Report suspicious aid offers — disasters attract scammers and traffickers.
For responders and coordinators
- ✓Triage by the board's scoring: proximity, access roads, urgency, and elapsed time.
- ✓Check clinical triage tags (blood group, allergies, conditions) before arriving on scene.
- ✓Use the two-way channel tied to each SOS token — never ask victims to re-register or repeat details.
- ✓Log incidents and evidence as you go; the encrypted log survives device loss.
Put the protocols into practice
Mysafehub builds these checklists directly into the app — offline guides, Medical ID, and verified helping — so preparation becomes habit.