As Hurricane Sandy swept through New York City and emergency crews scrambled to rescue victims, Emily Rahimi was responding to cries for help and offering words of comfort -- all in 140 characters or less. Rahimi runs the New York Fire Department's Twitter account, which proved to be a lifeline of sorts for many stranded New Yorkers. She responded to hundreds of tweets pleading for help, most of them in the first hour or two after Sandy made landfall. "You could see the panic and fear in the words they were typing," said Rahimi, who stayed at her desk through the night. "People were so scared they were reaching out to anyone they thought might listen. It really struck a chord with me. I tried to help them as best as I could."
@highlight
Fire Department handled hundreds of tweets from frightened residents as Sandy struck
@highlight
Emily Rahimi runs the FDNY's Twitter account, which proved to be a lifeline for many
@highlight
Rahimi: "One couple and their baby had moved to the second floor" due to flooding
@highlight
She stayed at her post for more than 30 hours, responding to messages
As the night passed, the FDNY Twitter feed filled up with conversations between @placeholder and the city's distressed victims.