Photo, courtesy of Google

Initially Facebook and Twitter were the inventions of tech savvy and forward-looking entrepreneurs committed to linking people across the world. Little did they realize in the aftermath of Haiti’s worst national disaster, both social networking sites are generating thousands of 911-esque messages.

While I was logged onto Facebook a day after the quake, I started reading the walls of family members in Haiti, waiting to hear of any news, reassurance that they were alive. One wall post caught my eye. It read, 

“He’s alive but in very bad shape, please please hurry and get there as soon as you can and please put this info in your statuses, * rue Mont-Joli Turgeau ! URGENT !”

Repost Urgent Statuses

I immediately reposted the message in my status box. Although I was unsure if it would help, it was a chance I had to take. The power of viral messaging has shattered the nay-sayers over-and-over again. A few hours later, I checked in on Jean-Olivier’s wall to see if anyone had updates about his condition. He had died several hours later after having been rescued. His untimely death wasn’t in vain.

Someone had seen the call for help through Facebook, contacted the Haitian Red Cross and news agencies. By that afternoon aid workers and neighbors were pulling him from the rubble. He passed away in a hospital, after having sustained serious injuries. Yet, he wouldn’t take his last breath pressed beneath a concrete slab. Nor would he be left wondering if he’d ever see familiar faces again. In his last hours, people fought and succeeded in rescuing him from the debris.

His story made me realize the power of reposting even the bleakest messages. However cryptic or far-fetched they may seem – someone, somewhere may have the power to save a life. Therefore when you see an update that is a cry for help, please don’t overlook it. Think of Facebook and Twitter as a 911 call center, that’s fully equipped to send help. 

When a call such as the following comes thru:

“There are still people alive in Caraibean Market, University Quesqueya et College Canado, They Need a Rescue Team- Please Post in your status//Aux Personnes en Haiti, Il y a encore de gens vivant dans les decombes du marche caraibes…”

Simply repost it even for a minute. More times than not, someone will see it and repost it, so you’ve already helped in the rescue mission. Relief workers in Haiti have already mentioned they’re sending teams to areas with reports of a high concentration of survivors. Every little bit helps, through Facebook, Twitter, text, word-of-mouth. Even from afar, we’re not completely powerless. 

One person I follow on Twitter, @RamHAITI aka Richard Morse, (a Puerto-Rican born Haitian-American  living in Haiti), has been in the middle of the chaos and his tweets have been picked up by CNN. Not only has he been among the first to tweet regularly about the conditions of various neighborhoods throughout Port-au-Prince (even before authorities & relief arrive), 

i.e. “Cite Soleil: Subway 17/19 Sous Wharf area is said to have survived. Some one from Cite Soleil came to see me. TiHaiti/Cite Limye hit hard.”

but he has started retweeting the messages of his followers looking for loved ones in Haiti, hoping to garner any attention. Any news, I promise you, during this devastation is better than none.

Photo courtesy of Reuters

Therefore I ask, whenever you come across any Facebook status updates, or Tweets pleading for help from quake victims, please repost it or retweet it. It only takes a second to disseminate the information, a second which can impact a life as in the case of Jean-Olivier Neptune. If you’re uncomfortable doing so, please add it to Facebook’s Earthquake Haiti wall. I guarantee someone will read it and pass it on. And if you really want to go above and beyond, pass the message along to Ataraxisconsulting, created as a result of Jean-Olivier’s death.

The tragedy that’s unfolding has taught me a lot of things. What if Twitter had existed during the Rwandan Genocide, 9/11, Darfur, Katrina? What I do know is this –  there is a dire need for a website similar to Facebook and Twitter which is uniquely committed to emergencies in disaster regions. Users should be able to post in real-time updates – names, locations and the conditions of victims. All of this info would then be allocated to a special rescue team designated for search and recovery in that area, using that social medium.

Perhaps the next major website related to catastrophe will revolutionize emergency response systems. In the meantime, please answer any 911 call that comes your way…

*Other News: 

The U.S. Department of State has just launched a site for the 2010 Earthquake in Haiti. The site features phone numbers for the Embassy’s Consular Task Force, and an email address for those looking for U.S. citizens in Haiti. There is also a “Person Finder” search tab, whether you’re either looking for or have information about someone. For more information click here.

The Haitian Embassy is helping families in the search process. Thus far, they’ve answered 1,000 of 45,000 inquiries which have come in. It doesn’t seem like much, I know but perhaps they need volunteers. Be sure to visit their site for more info. The International Committee of the Red Cross is also working to track relatives. Visit their site for more. CNN is helping in the missing persons search, go to their website to learn more. Finally radio stations across the US are helping Haitians find loved ones, i.e. Radio Soleil D’Haiti in NY has been announcing the names of Haitians who are missing. Call them directly so their names can be aired. Google is also helping. 

Feel free to post any other information you might have so readers can be aware.