As more families arrived and took refuge in Cebu, relatives and friends desperately look for their loved ones in various evacuation sites, hospitals and even post photos of missing persons in the social media.
To facilitate finding missing persons, the Department of Social Welfare and Development in Central Visayas (DSWD) installed online person finder in its regional web portal.
“Through Google’s person finder app, they can search names for people who are up to now missing after supertyphoon Yolanda hit the Visayas region,” said DSWD regional director Mercedita Jabagat.
The online application has two features; “I’m looking for someone” and “I have information about someone.”
Netizens can type the missing person’s name and match with the existing record. If somebody knows any details they can enter the person’s given and family name.
All data entered in the web portal is available and easily accessible to the public.
One can also search through SMS by texting 2662999 (Globe), 4664999 (Smart), 22020999 (Sun), or +16508003977 with the message Search (name). For example, to search for Joshua, text Search Joshua and send to the corresponding number.
DSWD also adapted the online crowd mapping to provide the public valuable information regarding the agency’s relief operation.
All features are updated on a daily basis.
Netizens can visit the website at https://www.fo7.dswd.gov.ph.