How Facebook has become a lifeline in the aftermath of Harvey.

As a marketer, I know the power of social media to help brands connect with consumers.

On a personal note, I have about 300 Facebook friends, many old school friends or acquaintances or distant relatives back home in Southeast Texas. Our usual Facebook interactions are liking photos of cute kids we’ll probably never meet or discussing varying views on politics. But Hurricane Harvey has changed all of that.

I grew up in the small Southeast Texas town of Fannett. This photo was taken on Interstate 10 a few days ago, very near where I grew up. CNN later picked it up, but it was circulated for days among my Facebook friends before it made the news.

Local residents of the areas hit by the storm and its flooding have turned to their networks for help. Neighbors reaching out to neighbors. I’ve seen rescue requests, notifications of rescue boat launches, and even followed my cousin’s journey down from Ohio with relief supplies in real-time. I watched the arrival of the Cajun Navy. I saw the devastation, read the cries for help and saw the response of help is on the way. Neighbors have been posting updated pictures of property in their area to ease the minds of evacuated friends and family.

Photos that ultimately land on CNN have been shared among this network for days. People are checking in, advising on road closures and where to get water. They’re boosting the signal on emergency announcements and crowd sourcing emergency supplies.

To say that I am in awe of what these people are connecting to do for their own is an understatement. And so far they have been relatively on their own with volunteers and private boats doing much of the rescuing. And finding those in need on Facebook.

Elsewhere in my feed, life is going back to normal. But in my hometown, it’s still about survival. Water is off in Beaumont. Family in Houston is without power. Many have lost their homes. The rain has stopped, but the water is still rising in some areas. Where they can, residents are helping each other. Whatever they have, they are sharing. It is a lesson in community, but I wish it was one that didn’t come with these devastating consequences.

And it’s not just the folks “back home” that are getting involved. Former residents as far away as California have put together a fundraiser to benefit the Golden Triangle area (the triangle formed by the cities of Beaumont, Orange, and Port Arthur).

Social media has definitely changed the way we communicate and stay in touch, but in this case it was a true lifeline for some and the only reliable source of information for those of us with family still stranded by the flood waters. I’ll never look at it the same way again.

Hamshire, Fannett, LaBelle, Cheek, Beaumont: we love you. Stay strong.