Rescue website, born of Harvey, now brings help for Florencehttps://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/article/Rescue-website-born-of-Harvey-now-brings-help-13231214.phpThe emergency management agency for New Bern, N.C., was skeptical when Matthew Marchetti initially called to explain how his crowdsource technology could help rescue people during Hurricane Florence.
Then Marchetti said he was from Houston.
“Oh, oh, so you know the drill,†was the response from North Carolina.
Marchetti’s website, https://crowdsourcerescue.com/, is now in use in North Carolina as Florence’s powerful storm surge and torrential rains create widespread flooding, matching rescuers to people seeking rescue. The site, refined since Harvey, still relies on two simple buttons: “I can help rescue†and “I need to be rescued.†But it has had a profound impact. During Hurricane Harvey, the site helped connect some 30,000 people needing rescue to 12,000 volunteers with boats, trucks and airboats.
“We went through hell with Harvey. But it was battle-testing,†Marchetti said. “It was battle-testing for moments like these, I think, with larger purpose.â€