News

Harnessing the Power of Social Media in Times of Crisis

When the skies dumped 20.2 inches of snow on Chicago in February 2011 — the third-largest storm in the city’s history — emergency managers rushed to their computers.

Using a combination of Facebook and a homegrown texting system called "Notify Chicago," managers pumped out a steady stream of information on school closures, city services, weather updates, car towing and, eventually, cleanup efforts.

"This gave us the ability to communicate quickly and effectively," said Roderick Drew, director of media affairs for the Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications. "It allowed us to tell people to exercise caution, to not travel unless they had to [and] to leave work early if they had to go to work. We needed to let them know that this was not a run-of-the-mill snowstorm."

By: Adam Stone

Full Story: http://www.emergencymgmt.com/training/Harnessing-Social-Media-Connect-with-Communities.html

Sorry, we couldn't find any posts. Please try a different search.

Leave a Comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.