Technology Proves its Importance During the Boston Marathon Tragedy

4/17/2013- Votacall Hosted VoIP - Boston, Massachusetts- The past couple days in Boston have been saddening and tough to accept. The city went from an all time happy high, with thousands of marathon runners passing family & friends at the finish line, to the most unexpected negative low when two bombs burst among the crowds. It was a completely unjust and irrational thing that affected the whole region because people had such a personal attachment to the Boston Marathon and Patriots. The bombings created mayhem with people scattering, having no way to contact each other due to the cancelling of cellphone signal by the state. The cell towers were taken out of service in fear of another cell phone detonated bomb.

Local citizens and out of town visitors were in a state of panic, not knowing if their loved ones were injured near the bombing site of Copley Square. Without traditional phone call working, people turned to a sometimes criticized technology in this day and age, social media. It was surprisingly effective and allowed for people to post in a public space where friends & families could find their location and make sure they were not injured. The 9/11 terrorist attacks in NYC were another horrible event that hurt the soul of America. These attacks happened in a year where social media was just starting to take a foothold. However, there was far less people online and this only increased the cell phone traffic in the area. Because cell phone traffic was so high, some individuals couldn't even get through to the police at 911 to report an emergency.

The technology of the Boston Marathon attack made a huge difference in how the city could respond. First responders did a valiant job, police/firefighters/local citizens and other individuals in the area, all chipped in to help out their fellow Americans. The great acts of kindness were uplifting; citizens stripping off clothes to fasten around cuts and abrasions of the injured, people running towards the blast to help instead of away, Back Bay residents handing out food and clothing for free to the thousands of people wandering the streets because their hotel/apartments were on lockdown, the list could go on and on. It made people realize that during such tragedy and heartlessness, a group of people could form together for the greater good of mankind and try to help with damage control as best possible.

The local officials made great response and had medical personnel already there to treat the wounded. The city of Boston had a response plan in place and was able to execute it through the technology we have nowadays. The radios, cell phones and medical equipment we are lucky to have kept logistics and operations running smoothly while medical treatment was far superior. It all led to the best damage control possible. The situation was horrible, but even in moments of tragedy the people of Boston MA and the world come together and support one another. Technology proves its importance over and over again; showing everyone how it helped keep the injury and fatality count down during the Boston Marathon Tragedy by keeping operations and logistics running smoothly even through all the panic & chaos.