The miracle of cell phones
February 23rd, 2010 | Coast Guard | Posted by Susan Schept
Coast Guard Health Services Technican 2nd Class Jeremiah Romankowski, attached to the Port Security Unit 311, administers first aid Feb. 14 to people in Leogane. // PA2 Thomas M. Blue / Coast Guard
A resourceful Coast Guard volunteer has been using social media and cell phone text messages to help rescuers find Haitians who are trapped or have been missed by food and water distributions, according to The New York Times. Ryan Bank has worked with the State Department, the Pentagon, aid groups and Haiti’s leading cell phone carrier, among other entities, to get help to Haitians.
Although cell phones calls could not get connected, text messages were easier because they used less bandwidth. Kudos to clever thinking. Bank has received more than 18,000 messages.