On August 6, 2006, a small earthquake struck the San Francisco area. The event triggered a discussion instantly in a new tool called “Twitter”. In that defining social media moment, two-way communications inspired the public not only to communicate status in real time but also to be active in their own preparedness and recovery planning.
Today we are publishing our “Guide to Social Media and Emergency Management Exercise Planning”.
This guide outlines types of traditional exercises and how social media elements can be incorporated into an emergency management exercise program. The guide includes exercise elements and how they can be successfully built into traditional programs.
In just a few short years, emergency management agencies jumped many hurdles to start their social media monitoring, practice and engagement. Craig Fugate of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) championed the cause by encouraging government agencies to empower the agency’s presence in social media.
“People respond to emergencies the way that they have trained. This puts the onus on governments and organizations to implement their social media policies and procedures and exercise their plans before an emergency occurs. Participating in exercises provides staff and volunteers the opportunity to validate and make corrective actions or improvements to their emergency operations plans, and to identify any staffing or training deficiencies.” Allyson Kuriger, Humanity Road Emergency Management Team Lead.
Download the PDF for this report here Guide to Social Media and Emergency Management Exercise Planning or by clicking on the image.
Numerous emerging tools and community partners can assist in creating effective social media elements or disaster exercises. Utilizing key stakeholders during exercise development and including the public, especially those with special needs, is a whole community approach that can empower the public to help themselves and others during disasters. Exercise planners should research options and include whole community partners from the outset.
Join the discussion under #SMXPlan and share your examples with us.
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- GuidetoSMXPlan.pdf