Social Media and Disasters: Best Practices and Lessons Learned Disaster Preparedness Summit, August 21, 2013 Presented by: Suzanne Bernier, CEM, CBCP, MBCI SB Crisis Consulting Toronto, Canada
Outline @sbcrisis
S B C r i s i s C o n s u l t i n g Established in 2011 Former news reporter/anchor, with over 16 years of experience in emergency management, business continuity and crisis communications Regular guest speaker and panelist at disaster conferences across the U.S., Canada and Europe next stop: Australia in September! Voluntourist, working on first book on Disaster Heroes @sbcrisis
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Facebook during an Emergency Facebook presence should be set up in advance During an emergency, the page can act as clearinghouse by providing up-to-date information by various organizations within one location during an emergency Simple to post messaging, information on basic needs, locating loved ones, requests for help, volunteer information @sbcrisis
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Twitter during an Emergency Set up a Twitter account and gain followers before an emergency occurs Messages must be 140 characters or less Short and to the point Tweet and direct message cap**3 Immediate distribution with unlimited reach Should be monitored 24/7 to respond to rumors and misinformation Use hashtags (#) for further reach @sbcrisis
Why do we need to incorporate social media within our crisis communications plans?
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Social Media and the Joplin Tornado
Joplin Tornado - May 22, 2011 Catastrophic EF5 multiple-vortex tornado struck Joplin, Missouri in the late afternoon of Sunday, May 22, 2011 Reached a maximum width of nearly 1 mile during its path through the southern part of the city Third tornado to strike Joplin since May 1971 158 people killed and over 1,100 injured Deadliest tornado in America since 1947 Joplin Tornado Info was created less than two hours after the tornado hit @sbcrisis
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Joplin Tornado Info Facebook page launched at 7:36pm on Sunday, May 22, 2011 First post was: St. John s has been hit; that s all we know for sure. Volunteer administrators monitored and updated the page 24/7 for the first 3 weeks following the tornado All posts were verified beforehand, accuracy was key Rumor control @sbcrisis
Joplin Tornado Info Response Phase Clearing house for information, communication and connecting the dots between needs and resources Locating loved ones Equipment/resource requests and offers Volunteer inquiries Triage locations Fresh water depots, shelter, clothing Charging stations Was considered the go-to site for up-to-date, accurate information Every post was answered @sbcrisis
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The creator s of JTI Genevieve and Rebecca Williams, with David Burton @sbcrisis
Social Media and Hurricane Sandy
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Social Media and Sandy Social media played an integral role during Hurricane Sandy NYC.gov, Facebook, Flikr, Twitter and Youtube informed people in near real-time Regular tweets from: FEMA Red Cross SEMAs NYC Office of Emergency Management National Guard Mayor Bloomberg s office Con Edison @sbcrisis
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Pre-Event (Preparedness Phase) Emergency evacuation route information Evacuation orders Regular hurricane updates Promoting personal preparedness (stock up on supplies, food, water in advance) Tracking of storm @sbcrisis
@sbcrisis Before the Storm
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Response Phase Emergency shelter information Finding missing people, reuniting people Food, water distribution details Where to receive medical attention What areas to stay away from Dispelling rumours @sbcrisis
Tweets During the Storm @sbcrisis
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Response Phase NYC.gov did a remarkable job getting messaging out in as many ways possible, including social media All Mayor Bloomberg s press conferences were posted on Youtube Press conferences were live-tweeted by @nycmayorsoffice Summary of press conferences posted to Facebook and Tumblr Spanish-language In future, amplify Twitter application will allow crowdpowered emergency messaging (donate your twitter account to help spread the word during emergencies) @sbcrisis
Response Phase Spanish-language tweets Twitter donated promoted tweets to spread messaging Over 2,000 tweets from city accounts City gained over 180-thousand new social media followers Over 1 million Youtube views of Mayor s press conferences Peak Facebook audience reached over 300,000 Over 500 Flickr photos shared Over 53,000 new followers (over 71% increase) Facebook page received over 14,300 new likes (234% increase) volunteer information @sbcrisis
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Rumor Control
Rumor Control FEMA has web page solely dedicated to Hurricane Sandy rumor control FEMA tweets to correct misinformation via #Sandy RUMOR CONTROL: The rumor that FEMA is offering $300 cash cards for food is FALSE @sbcrisis
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Fact or Fiction? Don t believe everything you see or read on the internet! @sbcrisis
Recovery Phase Still many areas to be rebuilt Volunteers from across North America helping to rebuild Occupy Sandy New York Cares Movement for Peace @sbcrisis
Post-Event Information @sbcrisis
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Social Media and the Boston Bombings
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Boston Police and Social Media Immediately after the Boston bombings, Boston Police (BPD) started communicating via social media Never seen before BPD now has over 335,000 twitter followers (vs. 40,000 pre-event) Chicago Police Department (CPD) currently has over 14,000 followers @sbcrisis
BPD and Twitter Used to monitor and correct misinformation and rumours being reported by traditional news media BPD s tweet clarifying there was no arrest shortly after the bombings was re-tweeted over 11-thousand times They softly scolded the media re: the use of scanners Local reporters waited on BPD s tweet before officially announcing the second suspect s capture @sbcrisis
Lessons Learned
Lessons Learned Releasing the correct information is the most important priority No room for errors or inconsistencies Validate all sources and information Develop social media guidelines, policies and protocols ahead of time @sbcrisis
Lessons Learned Develop How To guides for top social media platforms Use calm, appropriate tones Constantly monitor social media Social media is not a substitute for traditional media @sbcrisis
Social Media Best Practices Always refer to an official source When creating a Facebook page, monitor posts Staff the page 24/7 until rescues are complete, basic needs are met, utilities and communications are restored Remember to include who, what, when, where, how and why in your posts @sbcrisis
Social Media Best Practices Verify all information you post Watch the speed of your timeline - frequent posts vs too many Never speak ill of other organizations It s a crisis, not a contest borrow, post, re-post, share @sbcrisis
Social Media Best Practices Check every group or person offering help before posting it Avoid hearsay and clear up rumours Refer to those affected as survivors, not victims Be sensitive You are a resource for those affected first, a resource for their families second, and a resource for the surrounding area third. @sbcrisis
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Additional Resources FEMA social media training online course available at: http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/is/is42.asp The Use of Social Media for Disaster Recovery: Lessons learned while creating and managing Joplin Tornado Info (2011) Lessons Learned: Social Media and Hurricane Sandy, U.S. Homeland Security, Security and Technology (June 2013) Queensland Police Service Disaster Management and Social Media - A Case Study @sbcrisis
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Suzanne Bernier, CEM, CBCP SB Crisis Consulting suzanne@sbcrisisconsulting.com @sbcrisis Toll-free phone/fax: 1-866-577-7373, ext. 101 @sbcrisis