Multiple explosions were triggered at the finish line of the Boston Marathon today, with at the time of writing an estimated two dead and dozens injured. We know many are trying to get in touch with people who were running the race or nearby, but with cell service all but disabled and communication avenues totally chaotic, it can be difficult to do, or even exacerbate the communication problems for others. Here are some tips.

The lines get jammed easily, and some have been shut down to better serve emergency response. Don't bother. Instead rely on SMS texting or other text-based communications--Twitter is a bit chaotic right now, but tweeting directly at someone isn't a bad way to get in touch. Email, iMessage, Facebook, BBM, GroupMe, and other app-based text communications would be a good solution as well.

There are lots of ways to track Bostonians right now. Google has, for the past few years, set up a "person finder" service that's sort of like a missed connections book during disasters. You can either inquire about someone specifically or list information you have about a person. It's barebones but works well, assuming whoever you're trying to find is tech-savvy enough to know to use it.

The Red Cross has a similar service, which you can find here, though the site isn't working for us right now.