Google Person Finder Helps Track Down Earthquake Victims in Chile

By Nick Mokey March 1, 2010

After a rash of bad PR last month, Google has put some effort into restoring its depleted public karma with a project aimed to help victims of Saturday’s earthquake in Chile.

Google Person Finder helps separated loved ones find each other by allowing Chileans to enter or request information about people following the quake. Like a mini Facebook, each entry offers the name, address and other details about a person, a picture on some entries, along with personal messages from family members searching for them. People who have been in contact with missing persons after the earthquake can enter their own information, which green flags the entry to let everyone know they’re OK.

As of Monday morning, the tracker contained around 44,000 records. Google cautions that data entered into the tracker is public and viewable by anyone.

As with the catastrophic earthquake in Haiti, a number of services have also sprung up to allow mobile phone owners to donate to relief efforts through text messages. The Mobile Giving Foundation offers the following suggestions:

Text the word “CHILE” to 20222 to donate $10 on behalf of World Vision

Text the word “CHILE” to 52000 to donate $10 on behalf of the Salvation Army

Text the word “SAVE” to 20222 to donate $10 on behalf of Save the Children Federation, Inc.

Text the word “CHILE” to 85944 to donate $10 on behalf of International Medical Corp.

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