SOCIAL media is proving to be a powerful tool in the disaster relief effort in Queensland, with sites such as Facebook and Twitter helping to co-ordinate temporary housing, provide vital police updates and record first-hand experiences of the disaster.
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In one instance, Nari French set up a Facebook page to help connect flood-affected Queenslanders with others wanting to provide temporary accommodation and shelter.
Mrs French, who lives in Adelaide, set up the page on Tuesday, and there have since been more than 500 offers of accommodation across Queensland. ''These are people offering a spare room, or a sofa, a shelter for animals, even meals for people,'' Mrs French said. ''They're listing their suburbs, the number of beds they've got available and then they're inviting the flood victims to message them privately for address details.''
The medium has also allowed for others to drive fund-raising efforts, including one in Adelaide, where Alison Kershaw tried to drum up support using Twitter. ''We need venue for 200 people for the #qldfloodsfundraiser, u can run the bar & guest will bring snacks, any takers? #adelaide.''
Queensland police have also used Facebook and Twitter to deliver safety messages and updates, helping to significantly broaden their public information campaign.
Tweets from the QPSMedia yesterday included vital warnings, such as ''The Riverside Expressway in Brisbane CBD is now closed. Please avoid driving through Brisbane. #thebigwet #qldfloods''.
Mrs French said that although many online gestures were small, they gave those witnessing the horror unfold from other parts of Australia a chance to contribute to the relief effort in some way.
