Facebook's Crisis Response tool expands to WhatsApp

Facebook users trying to offer or request help after a natural disaster on the platform's Crisis Response pages can now do so via WhatsApp, which could mean more people can use this feature, according to Facebook officials.

Formerly, replies to requests on Facebook's Crisis Response pages could only be sent with Facebook Messenger.

WhatsApp has a wide global reach. In India, WhatsApp's biggest market, 400 million people have the app, according to TechCrunch. In WhatsApp's three biggest markets — India, Brazil, and Argentina — over 90 percent of smartphone users will use the messaging service this year, according to research reported in AdWeek.

"We heard from people all over the world who wanted to see this happen," Emily Dalton Smith, Facebook's head of social impact product, told Mashable. She noted that using WhatsApp for its Crisis Response tool would be especially beneficial in areas with poor connectivity, where WhatsApp might be the only accessible messaging tool.

As part of this release, Facebook also expanded its disaster maps so they're accessible to some state and local emergency responders, thereby improving real-time responses to crises, according to Facebook officials. These maps compile de-identified data about the distribution of relief supplies and response efforts, allowing response teams to identify what services are needed in a given community. Previously these maps were only accessible to international agencies, domestic nonprofits, and universities and researchers.

Facebook also updated its displacement maps, which can estimate how, where, and approximately how many individuals were displaced from their homes during a natural disaster by using anonymous, aggregated numbers about displacement in the area. These maps will now be made more accurate by correcting for things like commute patterns and tourist populations. Facebook officials say that sharing these improved figures about displaced populations can also help response agencies support those impacted by crises.

Additionally, new features will allow for photo and video sharing within the Crisis Response center on Facebook. This means individuals can share first-hand accounts of things like road closures or building collapses, according to Dalton Smith.

"We hope our tools can support people in unlocking that inherent human generosity," Dalton Smith told Mashable.