The Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management recognizes using social media can be the quickest and most efficient way to reach out to citizens in emergency situations.
Looking at the recent earthquake in Baja California and even the horrible weather that Philadelphia faced this winter shows that unfortunately there are times when you need to reach out to a large number of residents and give them updates on emergency procedures.
During the earthquakes in Haiti and Chili social media was one way to track the events as they unfolded from the survivors on the ground who were able to give first-hand accounts when news media weren’t able to gain access. This not only shared the events in real time with the world but it also allowed people to reach out to loved ones to let them know they were alive.
The Philadelphia OEM can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Linkedin, YouTube and Blogger. They do share a great deal of information not only on when disaster strikes but on how to prevent and to survive during these times.
One problem is that even though they are on all of these sites there aren’t a lot of fans or followers getting automatic updates sent to them. It could be because it doesn’t seem to be widely known that the OEM maintains profiles on these sites and the information that they can provide.
This is the pitfall of many social media programs. They are launched with good intentions but without a marketing plan or a true strategy on how to maintain the sites, who will oversee the work and how you can let people know you exist and grow your membership.
Check out the home page of the Philadelphia OEM http://oem.readyphiladelphia.org/RelId/606683/ISvars/default/Home.htm. Here you can see all the links to their social sites. Consider signing up for updates and sharing with other Philly residents. You never know when they can provide life saving information.
If you have questions e-mail direct mc.sandymiller@gmail.com or follow me on twitter @sandeemiller.
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