When disaster strikes, everyone wants to know the affected people they love are safe. With a new pilot program instituted in Japan, Facebook is helping making that possible.
Facebook’s disaster feature will allow users to “Like” to signify their safety post-natural disaster. This comes around the one year anniversary of the earthquake and ensuing tsunami that hit Japan and accounted for over 15,000 deaths and another 3,287 people missing.
It will also be possible under this feature to flag another person’s profile as safe, in case they are unable to do so because of a lack of connection to Facebook. After a person is marked safe, friends can comment on the status as a means of discussion.
Although this feature has yet to hit U.S. soils, a successful trial-run by users of Facebook from Japan will help bring the feature to other nations across the world. Whether it is a natural disaster like a flood, tornado or an earthquake to manmade tragedies such as terrorist attacks, Facebook will be able to signify to your friends your condition, helping divert resources to the individuals who need it.