Coast Guard Academy cadets make maps for Harvey response

NEW LONDON, Conn. (AP) — U.S. Coast Guard Academy cadets are creating maps showing the locations of people in Texas who posted on social media that they needed help during Hurricane Harvey.

Coast Guard search and rescue coordinators in New Orleans have told the cadets to keep sending the information.

The academy in New London, Connecticut, says this is the first time the Coast Guard has used intelligence derived from crowd-sourced social media for disaster response.

A rescue coordinator told the cadets the reports could be especially valuable in a few days when cellphones are dying.

The reports show the latitude and longitude of where the posts originated.

Cadet Evan Twarog, of Keene, New Hampshire, goes through the data. Cadet Gabrielle Auzenbergs, of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, maps it.

They've sent reports multiple times a day since Sunday.