Social Networking Tools Come to the Rescue Following Japan Earthquake

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/twitter/8379101/Japan-earthquake-how-Twitter-and-Facebook-helped.html

Following the disastrous 8.9 scale earthquake just off the coast of Japan, widespread destruction took over Japan as huge waves hit the Japanese coast and shook the island nation. Because mobile networks were unable to deal with the the influx in cell phone use and land lines failed as a direct result of the earthquake, many resorted to broadband networks and online tools like Facebook, Twitter, and Skype communicate with loved ones and the public about what was going on. These serviced proved to be invaluable to those who could not reach the people they needed to contact through typical means like the telephone. In fact, these networking tools even became the primary means of communication people used in Japan following the earthquake. In one common example, a girl at an international school was able to use Facebook chat to contact her cousin in Great Britain during the earthquake, but could not phone her parents who lived a short distance from her school. Technology today really is making the world a smaller place.
Even governmental agencies used Twitter to post emergency information concerning telephone numbers to call and safety shelters to go to for aid.
In ways that were probably never even imagine during the creation of these networking tools, they are helping society in its most neediest times.