Since 22 Feb 2003, www.epic.gov.sg - a Web site led by the Home Affairs Ministry which co-ordinates six government agencies - has been serving out emergency and security news to Singaporeans.

Epic, which is an acronym for Emergency Public Information Centre, started as a pilot project to help Singaporeans become more aware of the need to be prepared for emergencies and situations in which national security is at risk.

The SARS outbreak which hit the island in March 2003 has seen Epic performing its first real national emergency role - that of disseminating timely and accurate information on SARS to Singaporeans, be they in Singapore or overseas.

Various government agencies, such as Health and Home Affairs Ministries and the National Environment Agency, banded together under the Epic umbrella to provide a one-stop information centre for Singaporeans seeking to know what the government has done to manage the SARS outbreak. 

This is indeed a great idea and with the hindsight of the SARS outbreak, we should give this pilot Epic Web site its right to graduate as a full-fledged national emergency Web site.