Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
System Assessment and Validation for Emergency Responders (SAVER)
Innovative Uses of Social Media in
Emergency Management
September 2013
Prepared by Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Atlantic
The Innovative Uses of Social Media in Emergency Management report was funded under
Interagency Agreement No. HSHQDC-07-X-00467 from the U.S. Department of
Homeland Security, Science and Technology Directorate.
The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the
U.S. Government.
Reference herein to any specific commercial products, processes, or services by trade
name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its
endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the U.S. Government.
The information and statements contained herein shall not be used for the purposes of
advertising, nor to imply the endorsement or recommendation of the U.S. Government.
With respect to documentation contained herein, neither the U.S. Government nor any of
its employees make any warranty, express or implied, including but not limited to the
warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. Further, neither the
U.S. Government nor any of its employees assume any legal liability or responsibility for
the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or
process disclosed; nor do they represent that its use would not infringe privately owned
rights.
Cover images are courtesy of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) News
Photos.
Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
i
FOREWORD
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) established the System Assessment and
Validation for Emergency Responders (SAVER) Program to assist emergency responders
making procurement decisions. Located within the Science and Technology Directorate (S&T)
of DHS, the SAVER Program conducts objective assessments and validations on commercial
equipment and systems and provides those results along with other relevant equipment
information to the emergency response community in an operationally useful form. SAVER
provides information on equipment that falls within the categories listed in the DHS Authorized
Equipment List (AEL). The SAVER Program mission includes:
Conducting impartial, practitioner-relevant, operationally oriented assessments and
validations of emergency responder equipment; and
Providing information, in the form of knowledge products, that enables decision-makers
and responders to better select, procure, use, and maintain emergency responder
equipment.
Information provided by the SAVER Program will be shared nationally with the responder
community, providing a life- and cost-saving asset to DHS, as well as to Federal, state, and local
responders.
The SAVER Program is supported by a network of Technical Agents who perform assessment
and validation activities. Further, SAVER focuses primarily on two main questions for the
emergency responder community: “What equipment is available?” and “How does it perform?”
As a SAVER Program Technical Agent, the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center
(SPAWARSYSCEN) Atlantic has been tasked to provide expertise and analysis on key subject
areas, including communications, sensors, security, weapon detection, and surveillance, among
others. In support of this tasking, SPAWARSYSCEN Atlantic conducted research on innovative
uses of social media in emergency management. Social media falls under AEL reference
number 04AP-09-ALRT Systems, Public Notification and Warning.
Visit the SAVER section of the Responder Knowledge Base (RKB) website at
https://www.rkb.us/saver for more information on the SAVER Program or to view additional
reports on social media or other technologies.
ii
POINTS OF CONTACT
SAVER Program
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Science and Technology Directorate
OTE Stop 0215
245 Murray Lane
Washington, DC 20528-0215
E-mail: saver@hq.dhs.gov
Website: https://www.rkb.us/saver
Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Atlantic
Advanced Technology and Assessments Branch
P.O. Box 190022
North Charleston, SC 29419-9022
E-mail: ssc_lant_saver_program.fcm@navy.mil
iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Foreword..................................................................................................................................... i
Points of Contact ........................................................................................................................ ii
1. Introduction ...........................................................................................................................1
1.1 Literature Review ..........................................................................................................1
1.2 Case Study Criteria and Selection ..................................................................................2
2. Social Media Overview .........................................................................................................2
3. Social Media Implementation ................................................................................................4
4. Case Studies of Innovative Uses of Social Media ..................................................................5
4.1 City of New Orleans, Hurricane Isaac 2012 ...................................................................6
4.2 Country Fire Authority in Victoria, Australia, 2009 Bushfires........................................7
4.3 Port-au-Prince, Haiti, 2010 Earthquake ..........................................................................8
4.4 Christchurch, New Zealand, 2011 Earthquake ................................................................8
4.5 Northern Virginia, 2011 Earthquake ..............................................................................9
4.6 Queensland Police Service, Victoria, Australia, 2010-2011 Flooding ........................... 10
4.7 Colorado On-Site Visits ............................................................................................... 11
4.7.1 Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management ............ 11
4.7.2 Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office ...................................................................... 12
4.7.3 Colorado National Guard .................................................................................. 14
4.8 Fairfax County Virginia Office of Emergency Management ........................................ 14
4.9 American Red Cross .................................................................................................... 17
5. Summary ............................................................................................................................. 18
Appendix A. Product Information ....................................................................................... A-1
LIST OF TABLES
Table 3-1. Social Media Implementation Methods ......................................................................4
Table 4-1. Outreach Metrics ..................................................................................................... 12
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 4-1. CFA News & Media Screenshot ...............................................................................7
Figure 4-2. Haiti Earthquake Crisis Maps ...................................................................................8
Figure 4-3. Christchurch Recovery Map .....................................................................................9
Innovative Uses of Social Media in Emergency Management
1
1. INTRODUCTION
Information sharing between public safety organizations and communities is critical in
emergency situations, especially large-scale events such as floods, earthquakes, and hurricanes.
In recent years, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), “Social media
and collaborative technologies have become critical components of emergency preparedness,
response, and recovery.”
1
Through the use of social media, members of the public who witness
incidents can provide public safety organizations with timely, geographic-based information.
This information can be used by decision-makers in planning response strategies, deploying
resources in the field, and, in turn, providing updated and accurate information to the public.
Social media can provide public safety organizations with improved abilities to:
Engage in ongoing collaborative communications with community members and better
prepare them for emergencies; and
Gather, analyze, and act on real-time emergency information provided directly by social
media users within the community.
Established social media networks are in widespread use and allow for the dissemination of
data-rich, contextual multimedia including narrative, photos, and videos. Therefore, by
incorporating social media into their communications strategies, public safety organizations can
leverage the power of these popular information-sharing technologies to enhance their efforts
through all phases of an emergency.
The purpose of this report is to provide an overview of current and innovative social media
strategies used by public safety organizations to engage interactively with the public during all
phases of emergency situations. The information presented here was obtained from an
Internet-based literature review and case study interviews conducted on-site and by telephone.
1.1 Literature Review
A literature review was conducted in order to identify source material describing methods for
implementing a social media program (Section 3). Literature sources included:
Industry, government, and sector-specific reports;
Online publications and journals; and
Academic and conference white papers.
The literature on the use of social media presents the following recurring concepts:
Social media can play a significant role during emergencies;
Agencies should proactively engage with community members before, during, and
after an emergency; and
Agencies should adopt the use of social media in combination with mobile technology
such as smartphones to distribute information quickly.
1
DHS, Science and Technology Directorate, “Social Media Strategy,” First Responder Communities of Practice
Program and Virtual Social Media Working Group, January 18, 2012.
Innovative Uses of Social Media in Emergency Management
2
1.2 Case Study Criteria and Selection
The information collected from the literature review provided a foundation for the case studies
described in Section 4. The case study organizations demonstrated innovative uses of social
media and met a number of predefined criteria, which established that they:
Do not suppress social media sites on internal networks;
Actively use various social media accounts;
Use social media to distribute alerts, warnings, and updates;
Use mobile technology to collect and send information to the public;
Actively respond to social media content from the public; and
Use information from social media for situational awareness and to influence
decision-making during incidents.
The case studies were generated from literature reviews, site visits and telephonic interviews.
The featured organizations include Federal, state, and local government agencies and non-profit
organizations.
2. SOCIAL MEDIA OVERVIEW
Social media offers varying capabilities and levels of interactivity. This section provides an
overview of social media and is designed to enhance the reader’s understanding of the
information presented in subsequent sections. Although a comprehensive list of tools and
platforms is beyond the scope of this report, the most prevalent categories of these technologies
are described below. Additionally, Appendix A contains an alphabetized list of these tools and
platforms, including trademark information and vendor details.
Social Networks–Social networks are web platforms that allow users to create an account,
establish a profile, and interact with other members. Most social networks permit users to
manage their privacy and preferences for sharing content and personal information.
Examples of social networks include Facebook, Google+
TM
, LinkedIn, MySpace, and Twitter.
Media-Sharing Networks–Media-sharing networks provide users the ability to upload photos,
videos, or slide presentations and share them in a public forum. Within emergency management,
media-sharing networks allow community members to post geographically identified
(i.e., geotagged) photos and videos captured on smartphones. This content can then be used to
create crisis maps, which display social media content by location.
Examples of media-sharing networks include Flickr
TM
, Instagram, Picasa, Pinterest, SlideShare,
and YouTube.
Community Forums–Community forums are online discussion sites that give users the ability
to create content, comment on posts by other users, and upload and share files. Within
emergency management, they can also serve as a valuable source of information and resources
following a disaster. Organizations interested in building and hosting a community forum can
use tools and services offered by third-party providers such as IdeaScale and Ning.
Innovative Uses of Social Media in Emergency Management
3
Examples of emergency management community forums include Country Fire Authority (CFA),
Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA’s) National Preparedness Community,
Firefighter Nation, First Responders Communities of Practice, and GovLoop.
Blogs–Blogs are a chronological online diary that allow visitors to post responses to a discussion
thread on a particular topic. Blogs can support in-depth interactive discussions better than a
microblog such as Twitter that limits message length; however, they require creative content to
entice the public to participate in the information-sharing process.
Examples of blogging platforms include Blogger
TM
and WordPress.
Feed Readers–Feed readers are internet browsers or websites, which can be used to subscribe to
favorite websites through the use of really simple syndication (RSS) feeds. The desired content
is automatically aggregated into one application for easy viewing.
Examples of feed readers include Feedburner
TM
, IceRocket, My Yahoo!, NewsGator
®
, and
Reddit.
Mashups–Mashup technologies display overlays—or a mashing together—of two or more data
sets. Within emergency management, mashups are commonly used to map different types of
incident-related data (e.g., the location of shelters, evacuation routes, and water mains), generate
crisis maps, and improve situational awareness during a disaster. Mashups can also allow
citizens to contribute to a response effort by posting photos, videos, or comments on road
closures, damages, etc.
Mashup examples include Crisis Map, Esri
TM
, Google Maps, and Ushahidi.
Wikis–Wikis are collaboration websites that allow members to add, remove, and edit content.
The Hawaiian term wiki means “fast,” and people often use wikis to build knowledge
collaboratively on a particular topic and share it with others. Wikis have been set up during
disasters such as the 2007 California wildfires and the 2011 Joplin, Missouri, tornado, with
community members contributing text, photos, and videos to help others seeking information.
Examples of wikis include Wikipedia
®
and Intellipedia.
Social Media Management Tools–Social media management tools allow users to monitor and
manage their social media networks as well as generate metrics for determining their reach and
effectiveness. Some applications are free and may offer upgrades to professional-level services,
while others require a licensing fee or paid subscription.
Examples of social media management tools include Crowdbooster, Facebook Insights,
Geofeedia, Google Analytics
TM
, HootSuite, Radian6, TweetDeck, and Twitalyzer.
Short Message Service (SMS)–SMS is a communications protocol used for sending text
messages on cell phones and other mobile devices. Many public safety organizations allow users
to sign up to receive alert messages, which can be especially valuable during an emergency if an
agency’s existing phone service cannot support the volume of incoming calls from the public.
The effectiveness of SMS messaging can be limited because it may rely on community members
opting into the service and is generally used by public safety organizations for distributing
messages, not sharing information.
Innovative Uses of Social Media in Emergency Management
4
3. SOCIAL MEDIA IMPLEMENTATION
Many sources examined during the literature review highlight organizational and industry
methods applied to successfully implement a comprehensive social media program. Table 3-1
contains the most commonly mentioned methods.
Table 3-1. Social Media Implementation Methods
Method
Description
Develop a Strategic Plan
Identify the target audience, objectives, tactics, and staffing
requirements including roles and responsibilities
Create a governance structure for approvals
Identify desired social media channels and processes
Establish and Adopt Policies
Establish a Social Media
Presence
Establish accounts on popular social media platforms and
become familiar with the online culture by sustaining an
active presence
Establish a complementary mix of social media
Engage with the community in advance through social
media and recommend standard hashtags
2
Manage Expectations
Establish a Concept of
Operations
Determine how social media will be managed during
emergencies
Establish training and staffing plans to allocate more
resources to social media monitoring during an incident
Incorporate social media strategies into emergency
management exercises
Coordinate with Partnering
Organizations
Partner with other organizations to coordinate consistent key
messages
Set up a central online source for emergency-related
information from a variety of official sources
Coordinate social media efforts regionally
Monitor conversations on popular social networks
Actively Monitor Social Media
Content
Distribute Timely and Frequent
Updates
Pre-engage the public to increase visibility and credibility by
posting regular updates during all phases of emergencies and
during times of non-emergencies
Engage with community members by responding to
questions and comments and providing clarification
Develop overarching documents that provide guidance t o
emergency managers for the effective use of social media
Implement policies that help foster leadership support a nd
sustainable strategies
Engage early and often with the public to help set realisti c
expectations during emergencies
Disclose the source, type, and frequency of officia l
emergency communications
2
A hashtag, beginning with the pound sign, is a form of metadata tag used in short messages on microblogging
social networking services such as Twitter, and allows grouping of social media messages by topic.
Innovative Uses of Social Media in Emergency Management
5
Method
Description
Evaluate Public Information
Monitor social media channels to assess the manner in
which official messages are being received
Quickly correct any misperceptions or inaccurate rumors
Use social media management tools to track, analyze, and
document messages
Engage with Digital Volunteer
Organizations and Virtual
Operations Support Teams
(VOST)
Enlist digital volunteer communities to help satisfy demand
for information when in-house resources are taxed
Use a VOST to monitor sites, spot trends, and seek and
disseminate information
Improve Community Awareness
Include collaborative dialogue about hardships,
consequences, and developing safety concerns
Plan for Loss of Connectivity
Ensure the network infrastructure is robust and able to
handle peak demands during disasters
Establish a contingency plan that can mitigate loss of power
and connectivity
Use mashups and location services such as crisis maps to
provide visual and spatial viewing of social media content
Include layered map data such as evacuation zones and
shelter locations
Allow community members to submit damage reports
containing photos, videos, and eyewitness accounts relating
to the emergency response
Utilize Maps to Increase Visual
Context
Engage in community discussions and follow relevant
hashtags in order to build and maintain better awareness fo r
the Whole Community
3
Engage with Community
Members After an Incident
Seek feedback from community members to help assess the
usefulness and frequency of information shared through
social media
4. CASE STUDIES OF INNOVATIVE USES OF SOCIAL MEDIA
The case studies described in this section highlight ways in which government organizations,
news outlets, charity organizations, and community members found innovative ways to
collaborate and share information through social media. The literature review conducted for this
document revealed a number of organizations that used social media heavily during recent
natural disasters. Organizations or regions highlighted include:
City of New Orleans, during Hurricane Isaac 2012;
Country Fire Authority (CFA) in Victoria, Australia, during the 2009 bushfires;
Agencies supporting Port-au-Prince, Haiti, during the 2010 earthquake;
3
FEMA states “The ‘Whole Community’ includes FEMA and our partners at the Federal level; our state, local,
tribal and territorial governmental partners; non-governmental organizations such as faith-based, volunteer and non-
profit groups, the private sector and industry; and most importantly, individuals, families, and communities, who
continue to be our greatest assets and the key to our success.”
Innovative Uses of Social Media in Emergency Management
6
Agencies supporting Christchurch, New Zealand, during the 2011 earthquake;
Agencies in northern Virginia, during the 2011 earthquake; and
Queensland Police Service in Victoria, Australia, during the 2010-2011 flooding.
Additionally, several organizations or regions were selected for site visits with special focus on
their individual or collaborative regional approaches to social media use in emergency
management. These case studies are intended to highlight innovative practices and solutions to
common challenges. The case study participants listed below have different missions, resource
levels, and collaborative environments. On-site visits were conducted with one or more
representatives from each organization.
State of Colorado (including partnering local, regional, and Federal agencies);
Fairfax County, Virginia; and
American Red Cross.
4.1 City of New Orleans, Hurricane Isaac 2012
Innovative Use of Social Media: Extensive Social Media Monitoring and Collaboration
Government agencies actively monitored social media websites and used collaborative
communications during Hurricane Isaac, which impacted the Gulf Coast and New Orleans in
August 2012. Early on, reports indicated that Florida would be in the storm’s path during the
same week as the scheduled Republican National Convention. During that time, the hashtag
Isaac (#Isaac) was used extensively by government agencies, non-governmental organizations,
the public, and the news media to share information on social media networks. As the storm
changed its path and headed toward New Orleans, official organizations such as the National
Hurricane Center, the National Weather Service, FEMA, and the City of New Orleans used
#Isaac and #NOLA consistently on social media networks to clarify alerts and warnings. The
willingness of these organizations to use social media tools such as Twitter, YouTube, Facebook,
and Flickr demonstrated increased use of social media in emergency management and
contributed to the formulation of response efforts.
Social media used during Hurricane Isaac included the following:
Local and state emergency preparedness offices provided information about their
social media accounts and websites to local news outlets so that community members
could get up-to-date information on closures, transit changes, flooding, damages, etc.
The New Orleans mayor’s Twitter account was used to respond directly to community
members’ Twitter messages and to correct misinformation.
Community members posted eyewitness videos and photos of damages and reported
utility outages, flooding locations, and road closures. FEMA and the City of New
Orleans used this information to plan their response efforts.
News outlets encouraged the public to send information on Twitter about damages
using specific hashtags and then combined the messages for others to see. This was a
coordinated and powerful method of distributing information throughout the
community.
Innovative Uses of Social Media in Emergency Management
7
The City of New Orleans used its Twitter account, @NOLAready, to respond directly
to inquiries from the public.
4.2 Country Fire Authority in Victoria, Australia, 2009 Bushfires
Innovative Use of Social Media: Interactive Multimedia Website
The 2009 bushfires in Victoria, Australia, revealed a critical need to manage information flow
between emergency management agencies and the community in a more dynamic manner. CFA,
which provides firefighting and other emergency services to rural areas and regional townships
in the state of Victoria, Australia, did extensive work to update their emergency communications
strategies as a result of the bushfires. Currently, CFA uses a variety of social media platforms
such as Facebook and Twitter, but also encourages the public to engage and upload content to its
CFA News & Media website. The website provides news, multimedia content, and a community
discussion board called the CFA Forum, which is shown in Figure 4-1.
Figure 4-1. CFA News & Media Screenshot
Courtesy of Country Fire Authority
CFA greatly improved its ability to share timely information with the public through its website,
which has become the cornerstone of the organization’s engagement strategy.
CFA News & Media is an interactive website that combines official and unofficial information
related to fires and allows the public to post photos, videos, and discussion board comments.
CFA’s guiding principle for online communication is to engage with the public using a
collaborative approach to sharing important information. CFA uses Twitter as its primary
distribution mechanism during active emergencies and encourages the public to access CFA
News & Media for more detailed information and opportunities to engage in collaborative
communication. Facebook is used to sustain more detailed dialogue during emergencies. CFA
has a robust social media policy and a manual that outlines specific staffing levels as well as
defined roles and responsibilities for key social media staff members.
Innovative Uses of Social Media in Emergency Management
8
4.3 Port-au-Prince, Haiti, 2010 Earthquake
Innovative Use of Social Media: Crisis Mapping
Emergency personnel engaged in response efforts following the earthquake in Port-au-Prince,
Haiti, in 2010 benefited from the implementation of a new collaborative technology known as
crisis mapping. After the Haiti earthquake, hundreds of volunteers around the world, dubbed in
the media as “digital humanitarians,” mobilized to provide technical assistance in the creation of
a crisis map. As part of the effort, the volunteers first completed the digital mapping of the
country using satellite imagery. An open source interactive mapping solution called Ushahidi
Platform was then used to map geotagged Twitter messages and other mappable content from
hundreds of other online sources. As shown in Figure 4-2, the numbers on the crisis map
represent the number of content items (i.e., Twitter and Facebook posts and photos) within the
area. The map allows users to zoom into an area and read the associated content. This tool
provided valuable information for the response and recovery efforts by organizations such as the
U.S. Coast Guard, the American Red Cross, and the U.S. Marine Corps.
Figure 4-2. Haiti Earthquake Crisis Maps
Courtesy of Ushahidi, Inc.
Another successful venture during the Haiti crisis, the American Red Cross’ charity text message
campaign, took advantage of smartphone and SMS messaging technology. The campaign raised
more than $22 million for Haiti relief within only a few days of the earthquake, thereby
demonstrating the power of mobile technology. The charity’s previous record for a text-based
campaign was $400,000.
4.4 Christchurch, New Zealand, 2011 Earthquake
Innovative Use of Social Media: Crisis Mapping
Community members, official organizations, and volunteers used social media extensively to
organize efforts and share information in the aftermath of the earthquake centered in
Christchurch, New Zealand. A crisis map, again based on the Ushahidi Platform, was
established to aggregate and visually display actionable social media content and official
Innovative Uses of Social Media in Emergency Management
9
information. Figure 4-3 shows the Christchurch Recovery Map website with information
aggregated from geotagged e-mails, messages, and a locally hosted web forum. Other uses of
social media during this crisis included the following:
A Google Person Finder website was established to collect and share information
about missing persons. Within several days of the crisis, the website was tracking
thousands of records.
Government agencies successfully used Twitter to distribute critical information and
updates to the public.
A group of volunteers from the University of Canterbury, totaling an estimated
10,000, organized volunteer efforts through the use of a dedicated Facebook page to
meet many of the community’s humanitarian aid needs.
Figure 4-3. Christchurch Recovery Map
Courtesy of Ushahidi, Inc.
4.5 Northern Virginia, 2011 Earthquake
Innovative Use of Social Media: Text-Based Alerts and Warnings
Text-based alerts and warnings were used in the northern Virginia area during the 2011
earthquake. This technology provided an additional channel of communication between
government agencies and community members and enhanced the responsiveness of emergency
management organizations.
Innovative Uses of Social Media in Emergency Management
10
In August of 2011, the East Coast experienced a 5.8-magnitude earthquake, which impacted
regions from North Carolina to Quebec, Canada. The event reinforced the important role of the
collaborative use of social media during emergencies. Twitter reported that within a few minutes
of the earthquake, over 5,000 earthquake-related Twitter messages were being sent per second.
Government agencies such as DHS, FEMA, and the Virginia Department of Emergency
Management urged community members to use social media channels to obtain official
information and contact family and friends when cellular networks became inundated with
traffic. Additionally, within the week, Fairfax County implemented the Community Emergency
Alert Network, which generates important emergency alerts, notifications, and updates during a
major crisis or emergency while also encouraging the public to submit reports and comments.
With this network, e-mail messages are delivered to any registered e-mail account and text
messages are sent to registered devices including cell phones, pagers, and tablets.
4.6 Queensland Police Service, Victoria, Australia, 2010-2011 Flooding
Innovative Use of Social Media: Text-Based Alerts and Warnings
Between September 2010 and February 2011, the State of Victoria in Australia experienced
extensive flooding. The Queensland Police Service was complimented in various literature
sources on the Internet for its comprehensive and innovative use of social media, which featured
the transmission of alerts and warnings through social media outlets as well as traditional
channels such as a telephone-based warning system and radio broadcasts. For example, the
public’s receipt of alerts and warnings on the department’s Facebook page was demonstrated by
over 39 million “post impressions,” (i.e., the number of times each message was seen on
Facebook). This equates to 450 views per second over one peak 24-hour period during the
flooding. The Queensland Police Service actively used Twitter to share the same
up-to-the-minute information with community members that was posted on their official website.
The Queensland Police Service also used social media to correct and clarify its messages as new
information was received.
In addition to the proactive approaches the Queensland Police Service used during the incident,
an interactive crisis map was launched in January 2011. Categories of content such as
evacuations, hazards, road closures, property damage, and electricity outages were displayed as
layers of data on a map for customized viewing by the community. Posted photos and videos
documented the type of damages and recovery efforts taking place in particular neighborhoods.
A report on the response to the 2010-2011 floods, available on the website of the Department of
Environment and Primary Industries, lauded the use of social media as a key strategy for alerts
and warnings and other communications. The report recommended that the state take the
following actions:
Develop and implement a single web portal as a means of providing emergency
information to communities and local government on an all-hazards basis;
Review its Memoranda of Understanding with official emergency broadcasters to
consider increased use of Internet-based capabilities including social media and the
ability to broadcast community meetings;
Actively pursue the use of social media as part of its emergency warning and public
information system; and
Innovative Uses of Social Media in Emergency Management
11
Conduct further trials to explore the opportunity for greater use of social media as a
credible source of information exchange with the public during an emergency.
The Australian government also funded independent social media research after the floods to
evaluate the role social media played in the incident. The research results were incorporated into
a YouTube video, which demonstrated the community’s use of social media in spreading
accurate and helpful alert messages.
4.7 Colorado On-Site Visits
An on-site visit was conducted in Colorado to facilitate discussion in which several organizations
participated and provided feedback. Discussions were commonly related to regional
management of wildfires during the summer of 2012, although all types of incidents were
discussed, including the mass shooting at a movie theater. These events generated large volumes
of social media content. Community members sought emerging information and shared their
thoughts and concerns, while emergency management agencies used social media channels
extensively to keep people informed.
The following are included in this case study and discussed in detail in the sections below:
Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management;
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office; and
Colorado National Guard.
4.7.1 Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management
The Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management serves as the state’s
emergency management agency. The division is comprised of three offices: Office of
Emergency Management; Office of Preparedness; and Office of Prevention and Security.
Social Media Overview
The Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management website consolidates
all emergency-related information. The website includes links to the division’s official social
media accounts and provides access to a Google-based map that displays the current status of
Colorado fires. The division uses a web feed management provider called FeedBurner to enable
RSS feeds providing content. Visitors can easily subscribe to new content on readers available
on services such as My Yahoo!, NewsGator, and Google+. The emergency management arm of
this division also operates the Emergency Blog with options for visitors to post comments and
easily share the content within their own social networks using share buttons and e-mail.
Content on the blog includes incident updates, community member concerns, the division’s
outreach materials, and information from partnering agencies such as the Colorado Department
of Public Health and Environment. The agency also offers an opt-in service for community
members to receive alerts and updates through SMS or e-mail.
Innovative Uses of Social Media in Emergency Management
12
Social Media Presence
The Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management maintains dedicated
social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Flickr for its emergency
management functions and amplifies emergency content through Colorado’s other official social
media accounts. These social media tools are listed below.
Emergency Blog–Used for news stories, videos, photos, podcasts, and updates; also
allows comments and postings from the public. The link is located on the division
website and the blog is powered by Blogger.
Twitter–Used to follow partnering agencies and organizations to gain situational
awareness and to assist with message dissemination by resending Twitter messages
and sharing relevant information from trusted (i.e., official) sources.
Facebook–Used to provide updates, collect and respond to questions, and direct
people to the division website as the primary online source for official information.
YouTube–Used to share videos of division activities and emergency response.
Allows comments from the public.
Flickr–Used to share photos of division activities and emergency response.
Paper.li–Used to automatically create the COEmergency website which displays top
news stories related to homeland security and emergency management and shares
them on Twitter.
In addition to conducting media interviews with local and national news agencies, the Colorado
Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management used various outreach mechanisms
during the peak of the 2012 wildfires. These outreach mechanisms and recorded metrics are
listed in Table 4-1.
Table 4-1. Outreach Metrics
Metric
Outreach Mechanism
29,396
COEmergency.com page views
8,858
Views of current Colorado map
11,300
Followers on Twitter
197,403
Total reach on Facebook
3,172
Direct fan reach on Facebook
4.7.2 Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office was included in the on-site visit in Colorado. The
Sheriff’s office oversees the county’s Emergency Management Office. The Sheriff’s office
works closely with municipalities within the county and was actively involved in the response to
the Lower North Fork and Sawmill fires.
Social Media Overview
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office participated on an incident management team assigned to
the Lower North Fork fire in March 2012 and developed a public outreach strategy, which relied
Innovative Uses of Social Media in Emergency Management
13
heavily on social media in support of traditional communications methods. The strategy was
considered a success due to a high level of community and media support. The Jefferson County
Sheriff’s Office emergency blog, which consolidates all emergency information in Jefferson
County, was visited over 450,000 times during the fires. Twitter and an interactive Google map
were key components of the strategy.
Social Media Presence
As part of its comprehensive social media strategy, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office used a
wide variety of social media platforms to share information with the public and provide timely
access to critical, potentially life-saving information during the fires. The Sheriff’s office also
used a number of social media management tools to evaluate the effectiveness and reach of their
efforts. These platforms and tools are described below.
4
Blog–The emergency blog was the central hub of the social media strategy. The blog
was used to chronicle ongoing updates in a simple format, enabling Public Information
Officers working on the disaster to release information quickly. A photo slideshow
was showcased on the blog providing valuable images of the fire and response efforts.
More than 100 posts about the incident were published on the blog.
Google Applications–The Sheriff’s Office used several applications on the Google
platform for information sharing including Blogger (for the emergency blog), Google
Maps, Google Docs, and Picasa. Twenty-three documents were shared on Google
Docs and an interactive Google Map showing the Lower North Fork wildfire reached
2,716,279 views.
Twitter–The Sheriff’s Office used its Twitter account extensively during the fires.
The platform directed community members to the emergency blog. During the Lower
North Fork fire, more than 450 Twitter messages were sent through @jeffcosheriffco.
Many of those messages were resent, with the most important receiving anywhere
from 20,000 to 80,000 post impressions.
Social Media Management Tools–The statistics quoted in the referenced strategy
report are possible because the Sheriff’s office used social media management tools to
assist with tracking the volume of activity and streamlining the posting process. The
tools used included Crowdbooster, HooteSuite, and TweetDeck.
Local Online Communities–Other online communities rallied support and helped
highlight messages originating from efforts of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
Many people throughout the nation tuned in to the incident. One popular mechanism
was the Social Media and Emergency Management (#SMEM) Twitter community,
which revealed positive feedback for the strategy. In addition, the Jefferson County
Sheriff’s Office used a blog post to manage community members’ expectations for
information dissemination as the incident began to wind down.
4
The statistics obtained from these analytical tools are taken from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office’s Integrated
Social Media and Public Information Outreach Strategy report, which is available on the Jefferson County Sheriff’s
Office emergency blog.
Innovative Uses of Social Media in Emergency Management
14
4.7.3 Colorado National Guard
Colorado National Guard was the third organization included in the on-site visit in Colorado.
The Colorado National Guard serves as the State of Colorado’s first military responders during
state emergencies as directed by the governor.
Social Media Overview
National Guard resources from four states provided relief assistance during the 2012 Colorado
wildfires. Organized under the Department of Defense, the National Guard follows the
structured social media strategies of the Army.
5
These strategies are implemented by the
Colorado National Guard’s Public Affairs Office and coordinated with the Colorado Office of
the Governor. The Colorado National Guard has its own website and regularly posts news
releases. The website also includes links to the Colorado National Guard’s official social media
accounts.
Social Media Presence
The Colorado National Guard maintains social media accounts on Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, and
YouTube. They have developed a synergy between their social media websites and often link
photos and videos to their Facebook and Twitter feeds.
Facebook–The Colorado National Guard posted to Facebook several times per day
during the wildfires to keep the community apprised of their missions.
Flickr–More than 200 photos of the High Park fire were uploaded to the Colorado
National Guard’s Flickr account, providing compelling images of the fire and
demonstrating the resources being used in the field. This content helped reassure the
public that an effort was being made to protect their lives and personal property.
Twitter–The number of actionable Twitter messages sent out during the wildfires
increased dramatically, demonstrating the power of collaborative communication in
the formulation of an effective response to a large-scale emergency. The Colorado
National Guard consistently referenced incident hashtags and the primary
@USNationalGuard account.
YouTube–Videos uploaded by the Colorado National Guard provided visual and
audio coverage of the support at the High Park fire and subsequent road closures in
Larimer County.
4.8 Fairfax County Virginia Office of Emergency Management
The next on-site visit was conducted in Fairfax County, Virginia, a large jurisdiction comprising
395 square miles and a population of approximately 1.1 million. The county is the most
populated jurisdiction in Virginia and is part of the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. Fairfax
County’s Office of Emergency Management is a separate department alongside its fire and
police departments.
5
The United States Army, The United States Army Social Media Handbook, Version 3.1, January 2013.
Innovative Uses of Social Media in Emergency Management
15
Social Media Overview
In 2007, Fairfax County began experimenting with newer outreach technologies and has since
built an active and effective social media presence to complement its comprehensive
communications strategy. The Fairfax County Office of Public Affairs maintains social media
accounts on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, and SlideShare.
In June 2012, a fast-moving, aggressive thunderstorm system, called a derecho, resulted in
downed trees, mass power outages, and boil water advisories. During this incident, Fairfax
County used social media as a means to communicate with the public, especially on their mobile
devices. Some of the ways in which the county effectively used social media during and after
the storm are described below.
Social Media Presence
Blog–Fairfax County uses its Emergency Information Blog to share the organization’s
alerts, warnings, incident updates, news stories, preparedness information, scheduled
events, and newsletters. The blog was used extensively during the June 2012 storm.
In the months following the storm, Fairfax County continued to use the blog to post
important information. For example, in September 2012, the county posted new
preparedness tips on its blog every day for the “30 Ways in 30 Days” campaign and
linked back to the blog through its other social media accounts.
Flickr–Flickr is used to display photos of response and preparedness activities within
Fairfax County. Some of the uploaded photo albums contain images provided by
other agencies such as the Virginia Department of Transportation. A link to the
Hurricane Irene album is displayed on the Office of Emergency Management’s
website. During the derecho, Fairfax County requested that community members
upload their damage-related photos to a specific folder on Flickr.
Twitter–Twitter is used to disseminate information quickly and advise community
members how to obtain additional information, usually driving them to the Emergency
Information Blog. Due to its ability to allow people to resend messages, Twitter was a
valuable tool for informing community members about a 9-1-1 outage when phone
lines were inundated during the derecho. It was also used to encourage standard
hashtags to ensure everyone received consistent and accurate information.
Disaster Damage Database–Following the derecho, Fairfax County launched the
online Disaster Damage Database System, a reporting tool for collecting photos,
videos, and eyewitness reports of damages due to emergency incidents such as
hurricanes, tropical storms, earthquakes, fires, or snow. The tool was built by Fairfax
County’s Information Technology department and is accessible on their website.
National Capital Region Updates–Fairfax County participates in the information
portal called National Capital Region News and Information, which provides a variety
of information to community members in Virginia, Maryland, and the District of
Columbia. Public Information Officers from participating jurisdictions and
organizations collaborate across the region to ensure the website has the most current
information available. The portal uses a third party software application called The
Public Information Emergency Response (PIER) System, a web-based solution for
Innovative Uses of Social Media in Emergency Management
16
crisis communications management that features social media options and geotagging
capabilities.
Social Media Management Tools–Fairfax County uses a variety of tools for social
media and website management and metrics including Twitalyzer, Google Analytics,
and Facebook Insights. These tools help the county measure its influence on Twitter;
the effectiveness and attractiveness of the website; and trends relating to user growth,
demographics, content creation, and content consumption.
SlideShare–Presentation materials are made available to the public through
SlideShare. Fairfax County uploads briefing materials from various departments to its
general account. This helps increase openness and transparency with the community.
Other Innovative Uses of Collaborative Technology in Fairfax County
Fairfax County is actively engaged in online practitioner communities to share strategies and
tactics and continuously improve its use of new technology. The following are a few examples
of innovative initiatives being implemented by Fairfax County.
Social Media Summit–Fairfax County hosted a summit in the Washington, DC, area
in July 2012 to engage with partners who are actively using social media. Many of the
summit’s key discussion points were described in Twitter messages using #NCRsmem
and slides of the presentations are available online. Summit topics included
community engagement, mobile emergency applications, practical social media uses,
and best practices.
Incorporating Social Media into Exercises–Fairfax County participated in an
exercise during the week of October 1, 2012, to test the capabilities of social media
during a disaster. Other participants included the Commonwealth of Virginia, the
National Guard, U.S. Northern Command, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and
FEMA. The exercise used simulated social media platforms and content to
demonstrate the important role social media plays during emergencies and emergency
operations center decision-making.
Member of Virtual Social Media Working Group–Fairfax County participates in
the Virtual Social Media Working Group hosted by DHS’s First Responder
Communities of Practice. This forum focuses on the ongoing development of social
media strategies and tactics.
Extensive Training and Resources for Staff–Fairfax County has developed
comprehensive policies, procedures, monthly training sessions, and job aids for those
assigned to social media activities.
Surveying Community Members About Emergency Information–Following the
derecho, Fairfax County Office of Public Affairs and Office of Emergency
Management conducted a survey to evaluate, in part, the devices and tools people used
to access information, particularly during the widespread power outages. A few of the
statistics collected from the survey are summarized below.
o 5,795 survey responses were received.
Innovative Uses of Social Media in Emergency Management
17
o 69 percent of respondents lost power. Of those, 37 percent continued to access
emergency information.
o 45 percent of respondents prefer a mobile device to get emergency information
versus radio at 17.3 percent, television at 16.8 percent, and desktop computer at
16.1 percent.
Geofeedia–Fairfax County is exploring the potential of Geofeedia. This beta
application uses location-based searches to monitor social media and aggregates
content from various social media such as Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Flickr.
4.9 American Red Cross
The third on-site visit was conducted with The American Red Cross (Red Cross). The Red Cross
responds to disasters every day throughout the United States and the world. The Red Cross is
not a government agency, but it works closely with government agencies and other organizations
to provide response and humanitarian services to disaster survivors.
Social Media Overview
The Red Cross has been at the forefront of implementing social media strategies and has long
established accounts with large followings for many years. With accounts on many social media
platforms and active training programs conducted for volunteers, the Red Cross continues to
advance its capabilities with collaborative technology. In 2010, the Red Cross commissioned a
survey on Americans’ expectations about social media during emergencies.
6
The survey has
been cited throughout the global emergency management community. The Red Cross has also
launched a Digital Operations Center, in partnership with Dell, Inc., that drastically changes the
way in which they are able to capitalize on social media during disasters.
The Red Cross has a strong culture of trust in its volunteers and the community and encourages
collaborative communication through social media in order to carry out its humanitarian mission.
The organization has strong policies and procedures for the use of social media as a
communications tool, as evidenced by documents published on the Internet such as the Social
Media Handbook and Online Communications Guidelines. The Red Cross’ belief that social
media is having a substantial impact on disaster communications leads them to seek continuous
improvements in this area.
Social Media Presence
The Red Cross’ many chapters manage their own social media accounts; however, this section of
the document focuses on the Red Cross’ national accounts and strategies. The following are
some highlights:
Blog–The Red Cross blog covers many topics related to the organization and its
mission. During active disasters, the blog is the primary tool for sharing
disaster-related information. The blog allows for social media sharing and
cross-promotes Facebook pages and Twitter accounts used as information sources for
each disaster. The blog’s main page contains a disaster news portal and Twitter
streams based on accounts, keywords, or hashtags.
6
American Red Cross, “Social Media in Disasters and Emergencies,” July 10, 2012.
Innovative Uses of Social Media in Emergency Management
18
Facebook–The Red Cross’ Facebook page, which has more than 450,000 followers
(i.e., “likes”), serves as a community forum for providing information, sharing and
discussing current issues, and learning how to take action and donate funds. Links to
other organizations’ content are often shared on Facebook, and it is common for posts
to accumulate a large volume of comments.
Flickr–The Red Cross’ extensive volunteer network operating in many locations
provides a substantial database of photos of impacted communities and relief efforts.
Pinterest–The Red Cross uses Pinterest to give visitors the ability to pin Red
Cross-related images to their own pinboards and share information through social
media platforms.
Hurricane Application–The Red Cross launched a mobile hurricane application for
iOS and Android platforms in August 2012. The application provides information on
citizen safety and weather conditions and the ability to notify family and friends of
status on Facebook, Twitter, e-mail, and text.
Digital Operations Center and Social Media Management
The Digital Operations Center is located in the Red Cross Disaster Operations Center in
Washington, DC. The Digital Operations Center uses Salesforce Marketing Cloud’s Radian6
software to aggregate and visualize information exchanged through social media channels during
emergency incidents. The application allows personnel to group, track, and analyze social media
content topics based on keywords such as “first aid,” “damage reports,” and “shelter.”
Radian6’s visualization capabilities provide a graphical interface to monitor the frequency and
volume of each topic. Other features include a heat map, a conversation dashboard, and an
engagement console for volunteers to communicate directly with the public. The Red Cross also
uses the system to search social media conversations in order to find actionable information and
gauge the effectiveness of its efforts during disasters.
5. SUMMARY
The use of social media has increased dramatically in the emergency management community in
recent years, especially during emergencies and disasters. Social media tools are an effective
means to disseminate information quickly and to a broad audience. These tools can be used by
government and humanitarian agencies to help formulate preparedness, response, and recovery
efforts by sending alerts and warnings and other communications to the public while also
monitoring public interaction.
This report provides samples of emergency management organizations’ implementation of social
media, operational uses of social media during recent disasters in the United States and abroad,
and innovative social media strategies used to engage interactively with the public through all
phases of emergency situations. A summary of innovative approaches identified in this report
include:
Establishing a complementary mix of social media tools that work well together and
do not overwhelm resources to sustain (Colorado Division of Homeland Security and
Emergency Management, Fairfax County, and Red Cross);
Innovative Uses of Social Media in Emergency Management
19
Engaging with the community in advance using social media and influencing hashtags
to improve the interface with digital communities (Colorado Division of Homeland
Security and Emergency Management and Fairfax County);
Incorporating social media strategies into exercises to test and evaluate capabilities
(Fairfax County);
Developing and sharing interactive crisis maps with communities (Jefferson County
Sheriff’s Office, Country Fire Authority, Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and Christchurch);
Using social media management tools to track, analyze, and document messages
(Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and Red Cross);
Gauging community responses to use of social media and tailoring practices
accordingly (Country Fire Authority, Colorado Division of Homeland Security and
Emergency Management, Fairfax County, and Red Cross);
Empowering the public to submit damage reports containing photos, videos and
eyewitness accounts directly to emergency management agencies (Country Fire
Authority and Fairfax County);
Leveraging the power of dynamic images to improve message interest (Country Fire
Authority, Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Colorado National Guard, and Red Cross);
Coordinating social media efforts regionally (Country Fire Authority, Colorado
Agencies, Fairfax County, and Red Cross); and
Influencing and testing new technology (Queensland Police Service, Fairfax County,
and Red Cross).
The most effective practices involve a mix of social media tools, strategies, staffing, and support
from the organization’s leadership. Keeping apprised of new technologies, learning from other
organizations’ experiences, and periodically testing different strategies will improve the potential
for success.
Innovative Uses of Social Media in Emergency Management
A-1
APPENDIX A. PRODUCT INFORMATION
Vendor
Description
Google, Inc.
A blog publishing service
Google, Inc.
Conversely, Inc.
A social media marketing analytics and
optimization tool
Facebook, Inc.
An online social networking service
Facebook, Inc.
Google, Inc.
A management tool to set up web feed
through a rich site summary
Yahoo!
An image and video hosting website
Geofeedia, Inc.
A location-based social media monitoring tool
Google, Inc.
A social service network
Google, Inc.
A web analytics service
Google, Inc.
Google, Inc.
A web mapping service application
Google, Inc.
HootSuite Media, Inc.
A social media management system
Meltwater Group
IdeaScale
Idea-management and suggestion box
software
Instagram, LLC
Office of the Director of
National Intelligence,
Intelligence Community
Enterprise Services
An online system for collaborative data
sharing used by the U.S. Intelligence
Community
LinkedIn Corporation
A social networking website for professionals
Specific Media, LLC
A social networking service
Yahoo!, Inc
Newsgator
®
Technologies, Inc.
A feed reader that runs in Microsoft
®
Outlook
A tool to create crisis maps providing disaster-
related information
Environmental Systems
Research Institute, Inc.
Geographic information system mapping
software
A utility that provides analytics capability for
Facebook accounts
An online application to create and share
documents from any computer
A website that helps people reconnect with
friends and loved ones after a disaster
An Internet search engine specializing in real-
time search
A social network with photo- and video-
sharing capability
A tool for customizing web feeds onto a
personal homepage
Innovative Uses of Social Media in Emergency Management
A-2
Vendor
Description
Google, Inc.
Photo organizing software
PIER Systems, Inc.
Cold Brew Labs
A pinboard-style photo-sharing website
A social media monitoring tool
Reddit, Inc.
A social news and entertainment website
LinkedIn Corporation
A slide hosting service
Twitter, Inc.
A social media dashboard application for
management of Twitter accounts
Twitalyzer
A Twitter analytics tool
Twitter, Inc.
An online social networking and
microblogging service
Ushahidi, Inc.
The Wikipedia
Foundation
An online collaborative encyclopedia
WordPress.org
A blog publishing application
Google, Inc.
A video-sharing website
An on-demand, web-based communications
software
Salesforce Marketing
Cloud
An open source platform for crowdsourced
crisis mapping