Tornado Victims Flock to Facebook for Helping Hand

Student Madeline Evans walks past a destroyed school bus after a tornado devastated the town of Henryville, Indiana, March 3, 2012.  Credit: Reuters/Indiana National Guard/Sgt. John Crosby

by Mary Slosson - March 5, 2012

(Reuters) - Residents of the storm-ravaged communities in the Midwest are reaching out to each other, neighbor to neighbor, through social media sites to coordinate disaster relief and share information.

A chain of fast-moving tornadoes spawned by massive thunderstorms cut a swath of destruction from the Midwest to the Gulf of Mexico on Friday, killing at least 39 people and leaving many residents homeless and seeking food, clothing, and shelter.

With phone connections spotty as emergency workers tried to repair downed power lines and clear debris, Facebook pages -- accessible by cell phone, mobile device, or computer -- have proven a go-to source for communities to assist one another.

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