Technology Helping in Times of Crisis Part 3 of 3: Be Prepared
Editor’s Note: This is the third and final part of a three-part series highlighting how technology can help in times of crisis. The first part highlighted the new trend and success of mobile giving, millions of dollars raised simply by texting “Haiti” to 90999. Part two focuses on a group of high-tech programmers and managers who joined together to give technical support to relief organizations and created some helpful programs along the way. This part shows the amazing plight of a man who was stuck in the rubble in Haiti and used his iPhone to help treat his injuries to keep himself alive while he waited to be rescued.
The Boy Scout motto is “Be Prepared.” However, Dan Woolley is probably thankful for another motto, Apple iPhone’s “There’s an app for that.” On January, 12, 2010 Wolley, a filmmaker for Compassion International, was in Haiti making a documentary about poverty in Haiti, when the 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit the island nation. Among the possessions Woolley was carrying at the time were his iPhone and his SLR camera.
In the aftermath of the earthquake, Woolley found himself trapped beneath the rubble of his hotel. A place he would stay for the next 65 hours. Fortunately for Woolley he had previously downloaded the American Heart Association's Pocket First Aid & CPR application to his iPhone. The application, which is $3.99, provides basic and expert first aid information for a wide variety of situations.
With the aid of the iPhone app, Woolley used his belt as a tourniquet to help stop the bleeding from his leg, which had a compound fracture. He also treated his head, which was also bleeding. Because of his head injury, the app also advised Woolley not to fall asleep, so he set his alarm to go off every 20 minutes. Having treated his wounds, Wooley was then able to use his digital camera to help find a safe place to wait for rescue workers.
In October, 2009 during CCW’s “The Future of Wireless in Colorado” we were fortunate to have the developers of iTriage give a presentation on a very similar application that allows you to check your symptoms, learn about your conditions, and find a medical provider best suited to treat your situation. At the time of the presentation, I downloaded a copy of iTriage on my phone. However, after reading the story of Dan Woolley, I am considering downloading the Heart Associations’ app and other survival app, because we never know when something bad may happen and it is best to Be Prepared.
The Haiti earthquake is one of the worst natural disasters in recent memory, but digital technology and Internet communications allow the world to respond on a scale that is unprecedented in human history. Yes, I said it -- unprecedented in human history.
Less than five years ago, it would have been unthinkable for millions of people to contribute via text message, as described in the first installment of this series. We could not have used social media and mobile Internet to link volunteers and create online tools to coordinate emergency response, as recounted in series installment two. Before global networks and smartphones, there were no downloadable apps that helped people diagnose and treat their own injuries during an emergency.
Today’s global communications network, and the innovative devices and applications that operate on it, have been created by a combination of human ingenuity and enormous investment of private capital. No single person, company or government agency is responsible for its existence, but all are benefiting from its presence. At this point I would encourage you to do two things: 1) be a lifesaver today by texting “Haiti” to 90999. 2) Be a lifesaver tomorrow by showing your support for the free and competitive marketplace that has brought the lifesavers recounted in this short series.
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