[via Smart Mobs: Earthquake site]:

The website allows people in the region to register as "safe and well", either directly or through local Red Crescent staff, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said in a statement. Relatives can also consult the list of those who have registered and search for names.

Well this sounds like [l:http://katrinahelp.info/wiki/main.html|Katrina People Finder] all over again.

I read an interesting piece on [lk:http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/003612.html|WorldChanging titled "Collaborative Response to Disaster"] it talks about how SMS networks and other distributed networks can be used in times of disaster. The last line is haunting:
[l:http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/003612.html|Maybe it's the lack of a demonstrable success story. The idea of using distributed tools for collaborative disaster alerts and response is relatively new, and the places that have moved most aggressively to adopt the model haven't been the centers of major disasters -- yet. This situation won't last, though; the chance for distributed disaster tools to prove themselves is just a matter of time.]

During the first few days of the Katrina Disaster, I got an sms from Cingular asking me to reply to donate $1 to the relief efforts. That was pretty interesting. However I have not yet seen any immediate desaster response applications of SMS in America, we should be thinking of it as the Emergency Broadcast Network for the next generation. Severe weather warnings, mass transit security warnings or news about or during an incident (natural or manmade)....