How social media is changing disaster response

Reading Summary #9-Ray Huntzinger

 

Reference: Skarda, E. (2011, June 9). How social media is changing disaster response. Time US. Retrieved on November 9, 2013, from http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2076195,00.html

 

Theme: This article relays sever successful stories of social media use during the 2011 Joplin tornado and Japanese earthquake.

 

Summary:

 

·         Dozens of Facebook pages sprouted up following the Joplin tornado, allowing survivors to quickly get information, check on the status of family/friends, and comforting survivors and families/friends of survivors.

·         Many survivors of the Joplin tornado relied on social media rather than information and assistance from traditional services like the Red Cross and local relief agencies.

·         Although the resident of Joplin mainly used social networks during the storm recovery, Japanese citizens used Facebook, Twitter, and Mix to send warnings during the event, ask for help, and pass on information.

·         Twitter reported a record number of tweets the day of the 2011 Japanese earthquake.

·         Following the Japanese earthquake many citizens used Facebook and Twitter to connect with family/friends and to receive situational updates.

·         Social media was the primary mechanism that gave Japanese citizens an underlying picture of the status of the events.

 

Application to the lesson topic:

The article acted as proof that people have and will rely on social media during and following major disasters. One has to only look at the number of people connecting with family members and ascertaining information to be convinced of the impact social media has during a disaster. The lesson provided the class with an opportunity to get familiar with Twitter which was one of the major social media mechanisms during the 2011 Japanese earthquake.

 

Application to emergency services:

The lesson familiarized me with Twitter as an emergency preparation, response, and recovery tool; and the article convinced me that modern-day emergency management agencies must tap into this resource. Although traditional methods of emergency messaging should continue, the future involves social media and its many mechanisms. 

 

 

 

 

 

Lesson 9 reading summary Hurricane Sandy, Flooding and fury

James Delli Gatti

Hurricane Sandy, Flooding and fury

Reference: Trossman, S. (2012). Flooding and fury. (Cover story). American Nurse, 44(6), 1-9.

Theme: Social Media and disasters

Summary: This news article is about the nurses of the Jersey Shore University Medical Centers coordination with the states disaster personnel the week before the crisis in order to prepare for the impending catastrophe. Along with their planning to ensure that the hospital had enough supplies and equipment in order to get them through the storm they also prepared the hospital facility its self with a sand bag perimeter in order to prevent flooding of the facility as well as created a place for hospital staff to eat and sleep for up to a week in the facility if needed.

One thing that the staff was underprepared for was the loss of telecommunications at the facility. The nursing staff turned to FaceBook in order to provide safety information from FEMA and address questions and concerns of the public;

"We rerouted our phone system to our CFO's (chief financial officer) cell phone, and she triaged calls as they came in, "said Barnett, who lived in and at some points worked out of a friend's house because her own home lacked electricity and heat. Social media, Facebook in particular, took on new meaning. NJSNA used it to post information as soon as it came in on anything they believed would be useful: volunteer information for Red Cross and state emergency centers, emergency numbers, FEMA notices, and the location of stations that were selling, and in some counties, providing free gas to nurses who needed it to get to work."(Trossman,2012)

The hospital staff was able to receive information and pass along emergency information to the public through the use of social media.

Application to the lesson topic: The nursing staff at this major hospital was able to use social media to communicate emergency information to the public in a timely manner even when the power was out to their building through the use of cellular technology.

Application to emergency services: During an emergency situation emergency service personnel are expected to be able to think on their feet. They are expected to come up with solutions to communication issues; among many other things, during a disaster. You never know when certain technologies that you rely on will fail you, so it is always important to ensure that you have alternate means to complete your tasks.  

Trossman, S. (2012). Flooding and fury. (Cover story). American Nurse, 44(6), 1-9.

Reading Summary from Mike Wayman

Reference

Adam, N., Shafiq, B., & Staffin, R. (2012). Spatial Computing and Social Media in the Context of Disaster Management. IEEE Intelligent Systems,27(6), 90-96

Theme: The use of social media and apps have made a huge impact on how information is delivered. Using these resources have made reports of a disaster in real time the norm. The use of social media can help those making decisions about the emergency easier and quicker.

Summary:

• The growing trend of using smart phones and other GPS-enabled devices has provided new opportunities for developing apps and technologies in new ways.
• One promising application area for this is social media and its application to disaster management.
• Real-time incident information collected from people on the ground about the extent of damage, how the disaster unfolded, the community's needs, and responders' ability to deal with the situation, combined with information from the larger emergency management community, could lead to more accurate and real-time awareness.
• Social media helps make informed decisions, better resource distribution and a better response and outcome to the disaster.
• The US Department of Homeland Security's Science & Technology Directorate (DHS-S&T) has initiated the Social Media Alert and Response to Threats to Citizens" (SMART-C) program, which aims to develop a citizen participation with the capability for decision making throughout the disaster via a multitude of devices and social media sites.

Application to the lesson topic: Social media is becoming common place way for people all over to communicate and stay in touch, especially when a disaster strikes.

Application to Emergency Services: The use of social media has proven to be invaluable when it comes to a disaster. Getting information out to family and friends of those affected is almost instantaneous with the use of sites such as Twitter. Social media also helps those on the ground during a disaster call out for help.  

Backchannels on the Front Lines

Joseph Galbraith

Reference:

 Sutton, J., Palen, L., & Shlovski, I. (2008). Backchannels on the Front Lines. Washington D.C.: F. Fiedrich and B. Van de Walle, eds.

Theme: The use of what used to be referred to as conventional means of disaster communication to the public is being used more frequently.  Though there is concern that the validity of the information may be unconfirmed, this technology is precursor to advanced technology that will greatly increase communication. This report studies the use of communication among members of the public during the 2007 wild land fires in Southern California.

Summary:

• Emergency managers and responders are failing to recognize the capacity of the public to act on their own to conduct rescue and recovery efforts.

• Through social media the public is able to organize and coordinate efforts better than ever before.

• This type of communication has been labeled as backchannel communication

• The Incident Command System has traditionally used unidirectional communication as a means to inform the public. 

• In the past, peer to peer communication has been thought to be inaccurate and unreliable.  However in recent examples this type of communication has proven to be very beneficial.

• This study showed that 54% of respondents used personal electronic devices to access information about the fires.  Most respondents also turned to national news outlets but thought that they lacked specificity.

•Some of the motivation behind back channel communication was the fact that some citizens were frustrated with the lack of media information they were receiving.  Because of their frustration they felt a sense of duty to distribute information using social media.

 

Application to the lesson topic:

This is very good study about the use of unconventional communication or "back channel communication".  During a disaster, social media may be the most practical means to get crucial information to the public. 

Application to emergency services:

Back Channel Communication should be applied to emergency communication plans.   It would not be practical to depend on this type of peer to peer communication but it should be considered so that communication resources might be shifted to where they are needed the most.  Using a more multi-directional means of communication will increase our response to a large scale disaster.  Educating the public on the use and importance of social media could be included in Community Emergency Response Team Training.

9 - Jeffrey Martin - Social Media and Disasters

Reference:  Ortiz, A. (2013, May 4). Social media and disasters: When a small post can spur hope. Christian Science Monitor. p. N.PAG. Retrieved from: Academic Search Premier http://ehis.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.uvu.edu/ehost/detail?sid=76b32b6b-1c53-4975-b2a3-10ee13a8aa6b%40sessionmgr114&vid=2&hid=2&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=87500895

Theme:  This article discusses the use of social media during a disaster when communicating with the public.

Summary:  Social media transforms during a disaster.  During these times, it transforms from a place for people to post about their kids to a place where they can share information.  Emergency management departments should learn how to use these sites to spread official information.  SF72 was a social media site created by the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management for this purpose.

·         Twitter, Facebook, and other social networks spread information, allow people to know that their loved ones are safe, and assist in coordinating efforts.

·         Usage of these sites will rise dramatically during a disaster.

·         These sites can be useful tools to let people know how to help.

Application to lesson:  In this article, San Francisco went as far as hiring a PR firm to help them design their social media site.  Although this is unnecessary, you should still do your research to make the site appropriate to your community.

Application to the emergency services:  Departments should know how to use social media to be able to have an avenue to spread official notices and information.  People will turn to this form of media for help during a disaster. It should be noted, that the internet may be down during a disaster, and you need to not rely solely on this as your means of dissemination.

9- Randy Rask- New Trends in Community Informatics and Disaster Management

Randy Rask

Reference: 

Shankar, Kalpana (2008). Wind, Water, and Wi-Fi: New Trends in Community Informatics and Disaster Management. Information Society; Apr2008, Vol. 24 Issue 2, p116-120, 5p

Theme:  This article addresses how the use of social networks during disasters helps to mobilize the community and how a well-designed social network based around emergency management can assist citizens in being more prepared for emergencies. 

Summary:

-          In February of 2007, Ben Shneiderman and Jennifer Preece suggested that our nation needed an "Online 911".

-          They came to the determination that designing and deploying a system such as this would cost hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars. 

-          What are some ways that citizens can be more in touch with emergency management so they can be more prepared for disasters?

-          Citizens have started to use end-user technologies to communicate during disasters.

-          These technologies need to be designed and deployed in a proper way to have the greatest impact during a crisis.

-          Disaster volunteers seem to be well connected in exchanging information during relief efforts but these technologies are not very useful in preparing for the next disaster. 

-          Community-based approached through social networks if done properly may very well prove to be effective in preparing for future disasters. 

-          These technologies can be used to recruit volunteers and communicate between different relief programs. 

-          Bottom line is that these technologies are a great advantage during disasters and can also be a great advantage in preparing for future disasters. 

 

Application to Lesson Topic:

 Social media technologies have been being used in disasters since they were discovered.  This article explains ways that these networks can become more effective in preparing for disasters.  It also addresses how relief agencies can stay informed with each other and how they can communicate with the citizens.  The article also shows us that the community needs to be more informed on emergency management and it addresses ways that social network technologies need to be designed to assist people with understanding this.

Application to Emergency Service:

Emergency Services is all about helping citizens in the best way possible.  I would have to say that the best way to help citizens in disasters is to prepare them for it.  Preparedness is key.  This article states that social networking, if designed correctly, can help people understand emergency preparedness and the operations involved.

8- John Scardena- Interview Prep

Reference:

Lima, P. (2012). When the Reporter Comes Calling: How to Prepare For Media Interviews. CMA Magazine (1926-4550), 86(1), 34-35.

 

Theme:

If you want to have a successful interview with the press, make sure you have prepared… for everything.

 

Summary:

- Emergency management is about planning, so follow your gut and plan to be interviewed at anytime.

- Memorize strategic phrases or powerful quotes you want the media to catch.

- Elevator approach (30 seconds to get your message out there)

-Make sure you search for questions they will ask that you don't want them to ask and then prepare to answer them.

-Always look in control.

-At times you may not be able to talk about something, you should learn how to respond to questions you can't answer.

dismissed. Make sure to include accurate information in your debunking.

-Kill rumors fast. Watch print, televised, social, and radio news.

- Make sure you know what your saying because the press will run with it either way.

 

Application to Lesson:

In terms of a press release, knowing whats going to hit the fan and what will bore the press and ultimately viewers is extremely important. Preparation for the interview can really help spin stories the way you want them to go.  

 

Application to Career:

If I were to become a PIO I think it would be best to get a team together just to research and to drill questions at me. This would allow us to look for the questions we don't want asked and then how to answer them effectively. As a emergency manager, I would want to make sure there is a story worth telling or information worth sharing so that people can be informed