What is your Social Media Emergency Management plan?
At around 2pm today, an Earthquake with an epicenter about 34 miles NW of Richmond, VA. 87 miles SW of DC. began felt as far north as #NYC and New Jersey.
While tens of thousands flocked to their cell phones and TV service, twitter spread the word to 
millions. Twitter had everything from people talking about the earthquake to news organizations using twitter to share the little info they had.
Fox News reported that they were having trouble reaching personal over the cell phones and had to turn to twitter for information.
The experience of the earthquake should signify the importance of a tool like twitter, it allows you to gather information and operates on a different bandwidth through data plans allowing others to communicate when the cell network becomes overwhelmed.
It’s time to revisit your states, county, business and family emergency communication plans, should you not be able to reach each other over the phone, do you have a twitter account on each phone for you, your employees and your children?
At the time of this publication at 2:36PM Fox News reporters in the field are reporting the biggest issue facing people is the communication breakdown. Even NBCNews was digging on twitter to find anything they could for news content.
It was also noted that two Nuclear Power plants where taken offline near the quakes. With Summer in full swing and brownouts not uncommon, it has to make you wonder what is your plan to keep the phones and tablets charged?
Perhaps it’s time for twitter accounts to have a dedicated plan for buildings and businesses to inform personal and employees about what is going on. It’s also not a bad idea to have a family plan to allow others to find out your OK.
Sources:
Great idea for an app…
Definitely had quite a rocking here in Va a little over 100 miles from the epicenter. The first thing that happened WAS cell service went down, or was quite shaky. The only place I could get any info for quite some time was on Twitter and Facebook. I waited an hour for the quake to even show up on USGS’s site. Then that site shortly crashed as well. This worries me just as it would any other human being who wants to know what is going on in their area.
I heard talk of the UK government initiating some kind of ban on social media in times of unrest because of their recent riots, but then things like this happen and show us why our social media’s may be the ONLY source of communication when other methods fail. It would be a dire mistake to reduce social media communication in just about any case and you are very right. There needs to be a plan of action for each family, that includes using these methods of communication for when other common methods fail. Before this shake up I had never considered a line of communication with my father if all else failed. Tonight I’ll be going by his house to set up some kind of connection through social media for him so I can contact him quicker and easier should this happen again. Today should have shown many of us that waiting even an earth-rattling tremor can happen where you may not expect it to. Be prepared.
I am here in Roanoke Va and we felt it… My dogs have been acting funny since we got up this morning.. I am 30 and never felt anything like this. People need to take a breath and think about things…..
Once again social media rises to the occasion as the primary source of communication in an emergency surpassing traditional media and even mobile messaging. And Basil Puglisi is right here reporting through the WordPress world of DBME the up to the minute news as well.