On Saturday following news of the 8.8-magnitude earthquake in Chile, Google launched a person-finder web site, similar to the one it launched following the quake in Haiti. The site, located at http://chilepersonfinder.appspot.com, allows folks to chose between Spanish or English. It then provides a simple page that asks whether the user is looking for someone or has information about someone.
Make the choice, type in the person's name and fill out the information in the record. If no record exists for the missing person, you can create one.
So far, more than 700 people have died and many others are missing. I scanned through some of the notices and for those with photos, the matter of "missing" becomes more poignant. I have no idea who these people are, but the messages posted from those searching bring the tragedy home.
A note from a woman very worried about her missing neighbor and his wife. Another note is from a daughter who is looking for her mother, a 63-year-old woman with diabetes and hypertension. I'm not sure this is the point of the people finder service, to make the earthquake more real, but when you see the faces of those missing -- or least not heard from -- you can't help but feel sympathetic.
Additionally, as you were able to following the quake in Haiti, you can make a donation via text message for victims of the quake in Chile. Some options:
- SMS text “CHILE” to 25383 to donate $10 to Habitat for Humanity
- SMS text “CHILE” to 20222 to donate $10 to World Vision
- SMS text “REBUILD” to 50555 to donate $10 to Operation USA
- SMS text “YOUTH” to 20222 to donate $10 to UNICEF
Tags: Cell Phones, Internet, Online Community and Social Networking
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