Google and Twitter help spread information on Japan earthquake

Google and Twitter are using their global scope and are reacting to the 8.9 magnitude earthquake that hit Japan on Friday while working to share information about victims to their families. Google has unearthed its Person Finder tool along with its Crisis Center in order for family members to gather information about missing persons.

According to an article on Mashable, the Japan earthquake version of the Person Finder tool currently lists about 5,500 records, but the number is rising quickly as news about the catastrophe spreads around the world. While helpful information is offered, Google insists that it doesn’t review or verify the accuracy of the public data.

Google Crisis Center has been another helpful tool for family members to see maps of the Japan earthquake, read up on the latest news, and links to warning centers, disaster bulletin boards and train and blackout information.

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Twitter has also been an extremely helpful tool within the last few hours, especially since Japan is enduring widespread power outages. Less than an hour after the earthquake, the number of tweets coming from Tokyo was going beyond 1,200 per minute, according to the handy Tweet-o-Meter tool. Current Japan Twitter trends are #prayforJapan, #tsunami, Text REDCROSS, #Japan, Crescent City and Fukushima.

Details of the quake include:
• Dam breaks in Fukushima, washing away homes
• At least 90 fires in northeast Japan
• Train carrying unknown number of passengers is missing
• 4 million lose power in Tokyo area
• 65 aftershocks, several above magnitude 6.0