Far-flung family members, co-workers and friends frantically used social media, cellphones and even a “people finder” website to try to learn the fate of participants and spectators at the Boston Marathon.
Three people were killed and over 100 injured after a pair of bombs exploded near the finish line of one of the world’s great races.
Loyola English junior Emma Grimsley is a native of Boston. She had no knowledge of the attack until she recieved a phone call from a friend.
“Right after it happened my friend in Chicago called me and asked if my family was okay,” Grimsley said. “And I had no idea what he was talking about.”
The search was made more difficult by heavy cellphone use causing slow and delayed service. In an age connected by everything digital, the hours after the blasts produced a tense silence.
“It took a while to hear from other loved ones because we couldn’t get through,” Grimsley said. “Everyone was on their phones I guess. The network was overloaded.”
After dealing with faulty cellphone networks, Grimsley was finally able to get in contact with her family.
“Luckily my dad was out of town and my mom had been visting him so she was on the train outside the city.”
In spite of the resources to get in contact with people, the search proved to be difficult for many.
Loyola accounting and pyschology freshman Julian Correa is from Boston, and is thankful that everyone in his family is safe. For him, the search for family members took longer than he hoped, but he was finally able to reach everyone.
“It took a while for me to find my dad,” Correa said. “But everyone in my family is okay.”
Correa is still waiting to hear from a friend who was injured during the attack.
“I do have a friend from high school in the hospital and she had surgery last night” said Correa. “I’m still waiting to hear from her, but I’ve heard only good news.”
The support that Correa and Grimsley are are recieving from peers is comforting.
“I’m proud of the way the first responders acted and how the
nation came together in support of Boston,” said Correa. “I know Boston will bounce back, but for now, all we can do now is mend the wounds and figure out who did this.”
Cami Thomas can be reached at [email protected]
The Associated Press contributed to this report
