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As flood waters ravaged the Hill Country Friday morning, Rebecca Johnston got a call from her grandfather asking if she'd heard from her dad, Mark.
Johnston and her family are from Fort Collins, Colorado. She still lives there, and Mark moved to Hunt, Texas, about 10 years ago.
When she tried calling Mark's cellphone, she got a busy signal. Then she started reading the news.
“I had no idea what was going on,” she said. "I'm in Colorado. I'm 1,000-plus miles away.”
So she turned to Facebook for help.
As officials parse through the wreckage of the Guadalupe River flood that has so far claimed 43 lives, residents and loved ones have taken information sharing into their own hands via social media.
The post Johnston wrote on a local Facebook group pleaded for help in locating Mark and his dog, Buddy.
"I'm looking for my dad Mark Johnston and his dog Buddy," she posted on the Kerrville Breaking News page, which has about 55,000 members. "He is located in Hunt Texas. I've been trying to get a hold of him to make sure he is ok but nothing so far. If anyone has seen him and knows he is safe please let me know. I'm in Colorado so I'm very worried."
Comments from strangers began pouring in. They offered prayers and asked for updates. Some even said they thought they had seen him on the news.
Although none of the sightings turned out to be accurate, Johnston said they gave her hope.
"Every little bit of information that I received from those Facebook posts was very encouraging," she said. "I'm like, 'he's OK, he's out there.'"
Social media can be a helpful tool during disasters. During the 2016 flooding in Louisiana that displaced thousands, residents pleaded with friends on Facebook for more information or to be rescued themselves. Private citizens who responded in their own boats would go on to form the Cajun Army, which assists in recovery efforts around the U.S. to this day.
But social media can also be a breeding ground for misinformation, especially during catastrophic weather events. During that flooding in Louisiana, the Red Cross published a blog post to counter rumors about food distribution and shelters. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security launched a working group to address the proliferation of fake news around weather disasters online.
Johnston said her dad eventually got in touch. As flood waters approached his home, he said he and Buddy fled to higher ground. Johnston said Mark's home is one of the few left standing in his area.
Johnston eventually updated her post to let folks know Mark and Buddy were safe. Commenters praised the Lord and threw up prayer-hand emojis.
The post garnered about 2,000 likes, 220 comments and — most importantly to Johnston — about 1,000 shares.
"There was so many people out there [who] were willing to share the post, to get the word out that he was missing and that people were looking for him," she said. "That was just phenomenal."
