On the back of several major natural disasters, Facebook has created a new Crisis Response hub for all users. This is a drastic upgrade on the former Safety Check feature many people have used over the years in extreme events.

Facebook Crisis Response

The Crisis Response hub is the evolution of several crisis help features in existence across Facebook.

The new hub will centralize support and recovery tools such as:

  • Safety Check: check into your Facebook to let others know you are safe during a crisis event, natural or not
  • Community Help: ask the local and wider community for assistance, while outsiders can offer supplies and so on
  • Fundraisers: community fundraising awareness and direct links

In addition, the hub will feature a mixture of public Facebook posts, up-to-date news articles, photos, and videos of the crisis to keep people informed, and hopefully weed out the fake news.

Facebook is a Focal Point

Love it or hate it, Facebook has become a focal point for human activity, especially during times of crisis. Its unbridled reach around the globe means it is perfectly poised as a crisis response tool.

This role has been exemplified during recent major events. 911 can only cope with so many calls, and have limited response rates, too. During the recent Hurricane Harvey and Irma disasters, 911 responders were quickly overwhelmed. However, some people took to Facebook (and Twitter) to ask for help -- with some amazing, heart-warming responses the result.

For instance, Austin Seth saw the cries for help, and travelled with his boat for over an hour to help those stranded in their homes.

Facebook rightfully takes criticism for some of its business practices, but this is one occasion where its overreaching arms are exactly what the world needs.

The Crisis Response hub is currently rolling out to users around the world, and should be accessible from your account within the next few days.

Is the centralized Crisis Response hub a worthwhile Facebook feature? Or is it Facebook trying to grab more power and influence in our lives? Let us know your thoughts below!