Keeping in Touch with Technology
Events across the country the past few weeks have really brought disaster preparedness to the forefront of our minds. Whether you think of the tragic events in Boston or West, Texas or of the flooding across much of the Midwest; including historical levels in the Chicago-land area, our country has been hit hard the past two weeks.
As many of you know, I am based in Indiana. But when the Boston bombings happened, it hit close to home. I have several friends from college that live and work in the area where the blasts occurred. Like many others, there was a sense of urgency to find out if loved ones were safe.
It didn’t take me long to see how effective technology can be. As I looked at my Facebook feed here were the messages I started to see:
The sense of relief was astounding.
Many friends and families were able to connect in the same way, via Social Media. Others used text messaging or American Red Cross’s Safe and Well website.
According to Ready.gov, text messages are the best and way to communicate following a disaster since less bandwidth is required that a phone call, email, or social media update. How would you get in contact with your family? Have you talked about different options with your loved ones?
For more information read this article by Mariah Smith, of the Mississippi State University Center for Technology Outreach, Technology Can Speed Emergency Responses.
