Typhoon Haiyan approaches the Philippines on 7 November 2013. Image via Wikimedia Commons
Search engine Google has kicked its Google Person Finder service into gear, following a devastating typhoon that struck the Philippines this past week.
Officials believe at least 10,000 people have been killed by Typhoon Haiyan (also known as Typhoon Yolanda), Sky News reported, and Philippines President Benigno Aquino has declared a state of calamity.
Anyone seeking information on friends or loved ones caught up in the typhoon can turn to Google’s person finder service, which is currently tracking nearly 32,000 records.
The web app allows users to to post and search for the status of individuals affected by a disaster.
The Google Person Finder service for Typhoon Haiyan is available in English, Filipino, Vietnamese, and Chinese.
Google said all data entered into Google Person Finder is available to the public and searchable and accessible by anyone.
Users of Google Person Finder may also subscribe to emailed status updates on a particular person by clicking the ‘Subscribe to updates about this person’ button on any record.
