Check out this great article from EMA1.COM by Gary Sparger on how Emergency Management must consider how they engage with social media during an emergency. https://www.ems1.com/community-awareness/articles/emergency-communication-in-the-age-of-social-media-TRh2sJPFlNOknjSY/
“In 2017 the Pew Research Center reported that nearly 70% of American adults used social media, an increase from 5% in 2005. And because most people are using social media, agencies responsible for emergency response need to use it, too… The agency that fails to engage on social media runs the risk of being caught flat-footed when a disaster occurs.”
“Many departments use Facebook already, typically for relaying community event information. In terms of disasters, though, Facebook may be underutilized by first responders. Facebook monitors the posts on its site, and if people in a concentrated geographical area begin talking about a disaster, Facebook will open a page related to the disaster and prompt nearby users to report that they are safe. Departments can also monitor these pages and mine them for intel about conditions on the ground.”
Click here for the PUSHECS page on Developing Social Media Plan for Emergency Communications
Click here for the PUSHECS page on Facebook’s Crisis Response tools