Google is now playing a major role in helping with the recovery of natural disasters. Ever since the devastating earthquake in Haiti last year, Google has been working along with the U.S. Department of State to develop a Person Finder page as well as crisis response pages to help the victims of major earthquakes. This website creates a forum for people to search a database for missing persons’ names, or leave messages or information for their missing friends and family, in addition to adding any news they may have about other persons listed on the site. This site has been helpful in recovering information on victims in the Chilean earthquake this year, the Chinese earthquake in 2010, and most recently with the earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand (Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2011). According to Mashable, more than 6,500 records were created just one day after the New Zealand earthquake, and over 10,000 records have been created to date according to Google’s Person Finder Page. In addition to this, Google’s crisis response pages display current updates from Twitter and YouTube, as well as emergency contacts, numbers, and resources, including maps of the distressed area. Hopefully, these Google Person Finder pages will assist with the recovery of these victims in the fastest way possible.
Real time updates and maps on Google's crisis response page.
