Using Mobile Technology and Social Media to Transform Disaster Relief
March 4, 2010
In the first 72 hours after the earthquake in Haiti struck, over $8 million was raised in donations mobile donations.
The devastating 8.8 earthquake that struck off the coast of Chile illustrates just how different responses to disaster can be. Chilean President Michelle Bachelet hesitated to ask for outside help. The international response to the temblor in Haiti was as immediate as it was immense.
Today we're going to narrow in on one of the factors that enabled the massive outpouring of help to Port-au-Prince: technology. Mobile applications allowed anyone with an iPhone to comb through photos and identify missing persons in Haiti. Texting made it easier than ever to give.
Marnie Webb is co-CEO of TechSoup Global, an organization that helps non-profits use technology to achieve their objectives. She explains the impact texting campaigns will have in future disasters, and the effect it had in Haiti.
Today we're going to narrow in on one of the factors that enabled the massive outpouring of help to Port-au-Prince: technology. Mobile applications allowed anyone with an iPhone to comb through photos and identify missing persons in Haiti. Texting made it easier than ever to give.
Marnie Webb is co-CEO of TechSoup Global, an organization that helps non-profits use technology to achieve their objectives. She explains the impact texting campaigns will have in future disasters, and the effect it had in Haiti.
