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WEB SITE LINKS LOST & FOUND

By JEANE MacINTOSH

January 9, 2005 -- Thai doctors treating the blond, blue-eyed 10-year- old — her face battered and bloodied by the ravages of the tsunami — desperately wanted to find somebody who knew the little German girl or her missing parents.
They posted their plea to help young Sophia Michl on Phuket International Hospital's Web site — and within hours, dozens of strangers, connected only by the Internet, answered.

A worldwide web of good Samaritans — corresponding in a half-dozen languages and all linked to a central site run by an ex-New Yorker — were already searching such hospital lists and combing through victims' photos.

After reading of Sophia's plight, they posted her photo on Phuket Disaster Forum — www.p-h-u-k-e-t.com. Within a day, a colleague of Sophia's dad saw the posting, made contact and arranged to bring her home.

The heart-wrenching search involving Sophia was one of hundreds facilitated by the forum, which was folded on Friday into the International Red Cross' electronic efforts after 12 days in existence.

Thai-based forum creators Michael Cegielski, originally from upstate Springview, and Brit Steve White initially intended for the site to run for a couple of days.

But they wound up doing what governments and international aid organizations weren't able to immediately accomplish — create a central search service.

The forum became an electronic lifeline, with 2.5 million people logging on.

"[Officials] are doing what they can in Thailand, but for people far from there, and desperately searching, it's not enough," said Web site volunteer Lynne Fetterman of Colorado. "There are going to be people who never have answers . . . but our job is to help as many as we can."

The site helped many, including:

* A doctor trying to identify a teenage Scandinavian boy, who is deaf and can't speak.

* A distraught Swedish father, searching for his 4- and 6-year-old sons.

* A Canadian woman, looking for her nephew.

* A mom in the U.K. desperate for word of her 23-year-old son.

Some searches, like those of the U.K. mom and the Canadian aunt, ended happily, with their loved ones found alive.

And some were devastating. The Swedish father located his 6-year-old among the dead and his other son is still missing. And the search for a 4-year-old girl, last seen wearing a pair of Ecco sandals, ended when her body was found — still clad in the tiny shoes.

"Even through the Internet, it was almost as if you could hear us all stop breathing," said Michelle Harmon, who helped from her home computer in Maine.

On Friday — with the search increasingly becoming an effort to identify the dead — Cegielski and White decided to close the forum and refer people to the International Red Cross.

On the site's last day, a friend of a missing person posted, "Your wonderful idea and effort will go down in history."
 

Steve White, Thailand
E-mail: s-t-e-v-e@w-h-i-t-e.com

Leif Hellström, Sweden
E-mail: theswede22@hotmail.com

Andreas Hoistad, Norway
E-mail: ahoistad@yahoo.com

Steve White:

“It has been a very sad time for me to see Phuket and Thailand, the place I live and love so much hurt in such a cruel way, I still can't beleive it. My thoughts are with the people of all countries who have lost family and loved ones, I can't begin to understand how you must be feeling now, I hope we were able to help some of you with our service. The Thai people need your support now more than ever, please don't stay away. Thailand is a fantastic country, caring people, great scenery, a ideal place to holiday or even make a life. Rahk Mahk Prathet Thai, chok dee.
Thanks to everyone who has been involved in the Message Board, especially to Leif, Andreas and everyone at Solace without who this wouldn't have been possible, it's been great to see people from many nations pulling together at a time of crisis.”

Leif Hellström:

“"Knowing that all the time and knowledge I've put into this has made a difference for people made it possible to last all these hours and I thank you all for your encouraging words."”

Andreas Hoistad:

“Having worked with this around the clock I am glad that my IT experience became useful in this crisis and knowing that I have helped those in need of help makes it all worth it. The conversations with some of the victims families being told that what we did meant something is what I will remember for the rest of my life. My thoughts are with all those that lost their loved ones in this tragedy.”