In recent years social media has played a huge role in disaster crisis management. From Katrina and Haiti to the BP spill, social media platforms are being put to work facilitating communication and tracking all kinds of information. Why are these platforms so attractive? This quote from a Computer World article explains:
Crisis responders are attracted to social media because they are:
Pervasive. Facebook has over 500 million subscribers worldwide, with 1 billion projected by 2013.
Inexpensive. It is nearly always more cost-effective (and quicker) to build systems on an existing platform. Social media apps are relatively easy to develop, allowing relief organizations to spend their time and money meeting victims’ needs rather than building complex IT infrastructures.
Flexible. Social media platforms were designed to facilitate customization and extension. This allows an app to be repurposed for multiple disasters. The Ushahidi application, developed to track violence in Kenya, was adapted to track volunteers, supplies and shelters following the Haiti earthquake and was also modified for use in the response to the BP oil spill. The Red Cross’ “Safe and Well” survivor registration Web site, which was designed to help reconnect friends and families after Hurricane Katrina, was recently updated to include a direct feed to Facebook and Twitter. In addition, people away from their homes during a disaster can visit the American Red Cross Flickr site to see disaster photos and determine whether their neighborhoods sustained damage.
Mostly created and powered by not-for-profit organizations and volunteer groups like CrisisCommons, these social solutions are extremely cost effective and simple enough for anyone with access to a cellular device to use. Available to even those with limited finances or in regions where regular land lines are damaged and inoperable, we expect social media to continue playing an increasingly large role in crises to come.
The BCM Blogging Team
https://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/