Washington: Tech giant Google has reintroduced its web and SMS-based tool to help people locate their friends and family stranded in Kashmir, which is currently facing one of the worst floods in 60 years.
Google Person Finder, available in both English and Hindi, is an application that has been used time and again in disaster-hit areas to post and search for information about each other’s status and whereabouts, and was created by volunteer Google engineers in response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake.
According to Google India Blog, if someone is worried about their loved ones in a disaster affected area, they can use the “I’m Looking for Someone” option on the web tool by typing in the name of the person they want to find.
Alternatively, if someone wants to provide information about themselves or someone they have information about, they can use the “I have information about someone” option in the web application and provide names and details.
With over 4,500 records, search can also be accessed by sending a text message from the cell phone with ‘search’ to 9773300000.
The application was made available in Pakistan during the 2010 floods. However, it was not known whether the service has been made available in Pakistan as floods once again ravage through upper Punjab.