Filipino citizens, rescue workers and those looking for missing friends and loved ones quickly embraced social media after Typhoon Haiyan (also known as Yolanda) swept over the Philippines. Adding to the effort, tech companies have also pitched in with various digital tools and maps.
As it has for several past natural disasters, Google launched a crisis page and several tools in order to help people gather and share information.
These tools include:
The Google Person Finder – which lets people post and search for family and friends and also can be accessed by mobile phones.
The Typhoon Haiyan Relief Map – which provides information on shelters
A Disaster Map provided by the Philippines government’s DROMIC (Disaster Response Operations Monitoring and Information Center) shows regions affected by flooding, explosions, fires, etc. in the wake of the typhoon and where disaster response teams have been deployed.
It also shows vital spots including hospitals, where drop-off centers are for relief supplies, and where hosptials and police stations are located.
The Philippine Red Cross is providing updates on its Facebook page and on Twitter:
There is also a customized people search tool on Bayanihan PH – which allows people to enter data on a missing person and compare it with records of people listed as missing, deceased and those in evacuation centres.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/15pUZWcI8P_HGG92NgnHYfMFS_y6YgyQd1ukG1Jwrj6U/viewform
