Using Social Media During an Emergency Public Information Committee Webinar November 9, 2017
Agenda 1200 1205: Intro 1205 1220: FEMA Social Media Online Training 1220 1245: EWEB Winter Storm 2016 1245 1300: Discussion and Sharing
Introduction Jill Hoyenga, City of The Dalles Co-Chair PI Committee Rachael Chilton, Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) Please mute your phone Main phone will remain open for conversation Unmute only when you ask a question You may ask questions anytime
How Social Media is Changing Disaster Response 2005 Hurricane Katrina 1 No iphone Relied on alert systems, television and radio 2012 Hurricane Sandy 1 20+ million tweets Electric and gas utility relied on Twitter to alert customers 2017 Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Jose and Maria 2 FEMA relies on social media to communicate situational awareness and aid recovery efforts 1 Source: How Social Media is Changing Disaster Response, Dina Fine Maron, June 7, 2013, Scientific American 2 Source: FEMA Facebook page, followed by Jill Hoyenga August October 2017
Social Media Strategy is Now Critical to Preparedness Planning Establish official social media accounts before a disaster Adopt a hashtag or establish a Twitter handle early in the incident Staffing and technology plan to extract relevant data and maintain situational awareness Method for developing fast track infographics, maps and images Hashtag Google Search October 18, 2017 Hurricane Harvey hit Texas on August 25, 2017 Hurricane Irma hit Florida on September 11, 2017 Build a launch-ready rumor control webpage
@eaglecreekfire Multi-agency incidents now commonly have their own Twitter accounts managed by the Incident Commander, PIO or designee Loretta Duke is the United States Forest Service Incident Commander for the Eagle Creek Fire The fire started on September 2, 2017; IC still actively posting on October 17, 2017
FEMA Social Media Online Course Posted October 31, 2013 Basic roadmap Opportunities and challenges Good resource for beginners (most of us) Most named technologies in the course no longer exist but equivalents are readily available Will post the webinar recording and additional resources on the Public Information Committee webpage (link to page in next PI newsletter)
The Business Case 3 In an emergency, you must treat information as a commodity as important as the more traditional and tangible commodities like food, water and shelter. Jane Holl Lute, Deputy Secretary, Homeland Security (Lesperance, et.al, 2010:3) The 21 st century information chain has totally reversed the traditional chain of command. James Graybeal, Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications and Director of Public Affairs, NORAD/USNORTHCOM (Lesperance, et.al, 2010:11) We used to worry about accuracy, now we worry about speed. Tom Olshanski, Director of External Affairs at the U.S. Fire Administration 3 Source: Social Media in Emergency Management, FEMA Emergency Management Institute, October 31, 2013
Social media is imperative to emergency management because the public uses these communication tools regularly. We must adapt to the way the public communicates by leveraging the tools that people use on a daily basis. We must use social media tools to more fully engage the public as a critical partner in our efforts. Written testimony from Craig Fugate, FEMA Administrator, to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security, May 5, 2015 The Time is Now
Opportunities of Social Media Save lives in fast moving disaster events (Joplin, MO tornado 2011; NoCA fires Fall 2017) Communicate effectively, respond quickly, correct misinformation Build situational awareness Promote participation in government Build trust in the community
Stages of Integrating Social Media Into Emergency Communications
Key Organizational Challenges Leadership Buy-in and Organizational Culture Organizational Capability Sustainability IT Security Policies and Restrictions Privacy of Personal Information Public Records Retention Requirements
FEMA Social Media Online Course Link to FEMA Emergency Management Institute: IS-42 Social Media in Emergency Management
Eugene Water & Electric Board Social Media Response 2016 Winter Storm Rachael Chilton, Communications Specialist
A little about EWEB Public water & electric utility for around 170,000 residents in Eugene and McKenzie River valley. In 2016, around 500 employees. During the storm had a communications team of six. EWEB s Social Media Response: 2016 Winter Storm
Setting the scene Widespread damage across service territory About 22,500 customers without power during event 10 days to restore power to all customers EWEB s Social Media Response: 2016 Winter Storm
Facebook 178 posts 385 private message conversations Over 1 million total impressions Almost 100,000 engagements Daily average of about 5,400 unique engaged users EWEB s Social Media Response: 2016 Winter Storm
Twitter 888 tweets Almost 2 million impressions Over 41,000 engagements About 130,000 profile visits EWEB s Social Media Response: 2016 Winter Storm
What worked: set expectations EWEB s Social Media Response: 2016 Winter Storm
What worked: set expectations EWEB s Social Media Response: 2016 Winter Storm
What worked: set boundaries but still allow customers to vent EWEB s Social Media Response: 2016 Winter Storm
What worked: bring a human voice EWEB s Social Media Response: 2016 Winter Storm
What worked: share photos EWEB s Social Media Response: 2016 Winter Storm
What worked: express gratitude EWEB s Social Media Response: 2016 Winter Storm
What worked (but was really challenging): remember it s a 2-way conversation EWEB s Social Media Response: 2016 Winter Storm
Remember it s a 2-way conversation EWEB s Social Media Response: 2016 Winter Storm
Take the time to share the love. EWEB s Social Media Response: 2016 Winter Storm