Digital Aid

For two years, I lived on the island of Hispaniola. During my time there, I saw how difficult a Haitian’s life is. When I heard about the earthquake that occurred in Haiti last week, I knew that there would be unimaginable death and destruction. One thing that I didn’t anticipate was how technology would play such a big role in the relief effort. The first reports of the destruction were sent through Twitter and Facebook. Many Haitians who were buried under buildings were able to text that they were trapped under a building, and rescuers were able to save them. Residents were able to contact family members through email to tell them that they were okay. And in this article, it reports that millions of dollars have been raised solely through text messages. It will be interesting to see how modern technology continues to play a role in the recovery.