On April 27, 2010, tornadoes ravaged the state of Alabama. In an effort to reunite families with their lost pets, several local Birmingham women involved in animal rescue came together and began a social media campaign. The simplicity of WordPress and its ease of use allowed a site to be created in a very short period of time. It provided emergency information, volunteer coordination, and an organized forum for listings of lost and found animals that was easily accessible. As a result, local shelters were able to distribute pertinent information and lives were saved.

1. Michelle Amaral, @brainscientist2

2. Background
4/27 tornadoes in Alabama
Idea: reunite lost pets and their families
Strategy: utilize power of social media
Animals Lost & Found from the Tornadoes in Alabama on 4/27/11
www.facebook.com/ALTornadoAnimals

3. altornadoanimals.wordpress.com
Lost and found pet listings
Veterinarians/shelters open w/ electricity
Animal sightings
Items needed by shelters and citizens
Requests to help w/supplies, fostering,
volunteers, etc.

5. Organizing Information
Sort lost & found
based on county
Tips on ‘searching for
your pet’
What to do if you find
an animal

6. Stories
“Gimpy”, Lauren’s lost lab
“Grover”, brought to vet by Don Leo

7. Conclusions / Future Directions
WordPress is user-friendly for those creating the site as
well as those utilizing the site.
WordPress site allowed organization of the information.
Update site to include follow up stories of pets reunited
after the tornadoes as well as current lost and found
success stories.