To effectively help people following a disaster like the tornado that devastated Moore, Oklahoma, emergency responders need good coordination and comprehensive information. It’s clear that people need food, water, shelter and health care, but which people? And where are they? And who has the most urgent need?

That’s why Direct Relief teamed up with Palantir Technologies and veteran volunteer organization, Team Rubicon, and made a commitment at the Clinton Global Initiative in February to use Palantir technology to coordinate and better inform emergency response efforts.

After the tornadoes in Oklahoma, Direct Relief and Team Rubicon used Palantir mobile devices to perform door-to-door assessments and determine if residents had an immediate need for health care or needed structural repairs to make their homes habitable again.

All of these responses were then aggregated and prioritized by Palantir to inform Direct Relief and Team Rubicon where to send the needed medical supplies and the strike teams to repair those homes that need it.

As a result of this collaboration, Direct Relief has already sent 37 shipments of essential medications and first-aid supplies valued at nearly $800,000 to ten health centers treating people who were affected by the disaster. Team Rubicon has been able to perform assessments of over 2,181 homes and made 200 homes inhabitable again within 8 days after the tornado hit.

To see the efforts in action on the ground, please watch this brief video.