Now this is pretty slick (via newsvine):

With Typhoon Kaemi roaring toward China’s crowded southeast, Dr. Yang was sealing his apartment windows against the pounding rain when his cell phone buzzed to life.

“Typhoon forecast to make land this evening,” said the message sent to millions of mobile phones in the coastal city of Jinjiang and surrounding Fujian province. “Please attend to preparations.”

Once the domain of gossipy teenagers, text messages have become a key tool for Chinese authorities during this year’s unusually powerful typhoon season.

Nearly one-third of China’s 1.3 billion people has a cell phone, creating a rival to television and radio as a way to reach the public.

I have to say, that’s a smart idea. While some complained of poor execution, the principal is sound. Hopefully we’ll see something like this in the states.

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