In what ways did Twitter help people in Christchurch?
Twitter has played a big part in the Christchurch earthquake. People have been posting tweets from underneath the rubble they have been trapped under, asking for help. People have been found and saved because of this. People from other countries have become aware of this situation by viewing peoples tweets on Facebook. Citizens of Christchurch have been able to locate and save people from collapsing buildings because of the communication levels of Twitter.
Messages of support, assistance and information on emergency services are constantly flowing in from all parts of New Zealand, with many companies and organisations advertising their fundraising events via Twitter in order to get a more immediate response.
HERE IS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW TWITTER HAS MADE AN IMPACT ON THE SURVIVAL OF THE PEOPLE IN CHRISTCHURCH
When Michelle Gourley in Kaiapoi tried to telephone her father, John Gourley in Opawa to see how he was after the Christchurch earthquake, she could not get through.
Fearing that 70-year-old John had been injured or killed, she set off in her car to drive there. But, stuck in traffic, she called her sister Joanne in Auckland.
They both decided to call their brother Sean in San Francisco, who put a message on the Twitter social network asking the world if anyone was close to his father's house. Moments later a stranger replied: "Sean I'm near Opawa, what's address."
After being given the address, the stranger found John Gourley sitting in his car outside his badly damaged house. Michelle Gourley arrived three hours later and took him back to Kaiapoi.
TWEETS AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE STRUCK
· ‘Fish have made a bid for freedom, tank has a huge hole’
· ‘Just got power back in Riccarton’
· ‘Jesus. Huge earthquake’
· ‘Surreal day after the earthquake. My poor town is a bit battered and bruised. So glad no fatalities. A miracle really.’
· ‘Have now been stuck under a broken building for 4 hours. The sound of drilling is hopeful.’
This shows how Twitter has played a big part in the Christchurch earthquake, and how it has contributed to the survival of many Cantabrians, and how effective the social networking site really is.
