Living
in the Northeast of the United States, many people think they are
prepared for anything and can weather any type of storm. Alas,
I learned this past weekend even the mighty can be humbled. Parts of
Massachusetts and New Hampshire were struck with an ice storm that
devastated trees and left nearly 500,000 homes without power,
and cable, phone and Internet services for over one week in many
cases. What is amazing is how unprepared most of all were in terms of
basic needs.
Here is what I learned about how social media did help and could do more in the future. Local radio station, WTAG (AM 580) was broadcasting reports of what was happening in terms of emergency management, updates on power restoration, shelter info, school status and tips for residents to cope with the situation. Much of the information was via text message and recorded audio interviews with local city and town officials. Sitting in my home awaiting even the slightest update on my town, I realized I was part of the largest social media experiment of my life. The more I listened, the more I realized that there was so much more that could be done.
Here are few things to consider for future emergency management situations. Communication is the key. Take a look.
- Radio station text messages are replaced with Twitter sites tied to a blog or Facebook account set up for each town. Facebook will automatically update with these feeds. People post info on your town and you follow the "tweets" or RSS Feeds. You spend the time doing anything put being pinned to a radio station talking about your topic a few times a day. It gets that desperate at times when such basic amenities are swept away.
- The power companies were pretty vague on the details of where they were working restore power. This may have seemed like a wise PR move, but it backfired. The public grew angry and lost patience with the very folks that held their fate in their hands. Transparency is king in emergency management. Tell us what is happening and let us deal with it. Not knowing is the worst. PR grade for the situation, fail. Grade for hard work and persistence, A+.
Please, if you take one thing away
from this post is that I realized how generally helpless most of us
are. I consider myself pretty resourceful and able to deal with the
weather and touch situation (hey, I watch Bear Grills of course), but there were points were I wanted to just crawl into a hole and give up.
- If you have a fireplace, have enough wood for a few days
- Fill your gas cans if you have a generator. Fill them anyway if your neighbor has one
- Set yourself up for food to last at least a week on standard eating habits
- Store lots of water to drink Store even more water to operate your toilets
- Have plenty of batteries and flashlights that are wind-up charged - it is moral victory to have light
- Get a generator within your immediate family and have a plan
- Pay your mobile phone bill on time- it is your only lifeline to the outside world
- Remember that this is hopefully temporary. Life is going on around you
- Think of others nearby that may not be able to help themselves
- Visit your neighbors to see how you can help each other
Best of luck if you find yourself in this situation. Social media can help and will be a part of how emergency management is conducted as we all rely more and more on technology. We will expect the level of service to grow along with technology. My hats off to the fire, police, utility, DPW, Media, volunteers at shelters, and all others who made this not such a horrible experience. For more examples of how some government agencies are using social media, check this out.
What is your experience in this area? I want to learn more and share the information.
