Communication and media in disaster response

In Maryland, USA, a powerful blizzard affected the eastern seaboard in a major way last week. It claimed at least 19 lives, created disorder and brought major cities like Washington, DC and New York to a standstill. It also saw private and public drivers ordered off the streets and work in offices, classes suspended and thousands of flights cancelled. News reports said that a total of 11 states declared a state of emergency, an estimated 85 million people found themselves in the eye of the storm, which was dubbed “Snowzilla,” and around 200,000 people were left without power.

I flew to Maryland Monday after the weekend snowstorm because of the death of my mother who resides in “The Old Line State.” I was secure with the thought that my Delta flight would bring me safely to the Reagan International Airport, but worried at the same time that I would not be able to proceed from the airport to our house in Silver Spring, imagining that the streets would be dumped with more than two feet of snow. But, lo and behold, my anxiety was unfounded. The major thoroughfares were quickly cleared, and vehicles were moving, albeit slower than usual. The secondary streets were likewise cleared enough for a one-way vehicle flow. Giant snow melters and a convoy of trucks were used to clean the US capital, while many turned the negative situation into a weekend thrill, building snowmen and sledding. A quick, spot-on disaster response mindset was clearly evident in the way the public agencies as well as the private sectors handled the emergency situation.

Lessons In Communications From A Snow Shoveler

Laura Petronilo, an operations person for an integrated marketing communications firm, devised a parallel between the work of shoveling and getting involved in the aspects of developing and executing a communications strategy. All you need to do is follow these fundamental steps from Petronilo:

Understand the foundation. Before shoveling a stretch of your walk or driveway, evaluate what the foundation — underneath the layers of snow — is like. For example, parts of your driveway are concrete, parts are gravel, and some parts have random stems growing out of them. When you create a communications strategy, you must evaluate it in the same way. Before tackling a campaign or strategy, try to understand your business, target market, competitors and the industry you’re in. You must also have a clear understanding of your goals. Though goals are the “end point,” they are part of the foundation.

By understanding what the foundation looks like, you can have a clearer vision of what the goal looks like. You know success on the concrete section of your walk will be clear pavement, but the success on the gravel sections is totally different — a snow-covered smoothness. How your goals might vary is an important distinction you must make in your communications strategy.

Have the right equipment. During the winter, say a prayer of gratitude to the deities for your daily survival: high-quality mittens, warm jacket, durable boots, an endless variety of demigods in the form of hats, bonnets, scarves and really warm, high socks. These things help you in your effectiveness, give longevity to your strategy, and produce a better end goal for your product. The tools don’t accomplish your goals; they support them. They help you be a better and happier man or woman behind the shovel, but you’re still the center point. Even for those who use a snow thrower, someone’s at the throttle. And, as in communications strategy, tools can help support success, but the communications team drives it. Tools alone never drive a communications strategy.

Make strategic partnerships. While you’re shoveling, visit with neighbors, chat with dog-walkers and joggers and meet new people. Manage to become a part of this small community. Occasionally, your neighbor will clear part of your walk, and you’ll make sure you keep things clear of his oil tank so it’s easy for the delivery guy to get in to refill. Partnerships support success in shoveling and in any communication strategy.

Set milestones. During a large storm, shoveling can be considered an endurance sport. Sometimes you’ll shovel one section clean and by the time you get a fourth of the way through the next one, your first section already looks as though you haven’t touched it. It’s easy to get discouraged, so you must set success milestones and track them to see how you’re doing.

In communication strategy this translates to a couple of important concepts: first, set realistic expectations. Your client isn’t going to be on the cover of a major publication a day after they hire you — and no, not the week after, either. Set your client’s expectations and your deliverables based on a timeline that makes sense. Second, track, measure and evaluate. Understand which PR metrics you should use to evaluate success, and consistently track and evaluate them.

Prepare for the next storm. So you need to think long-term. In the initial storms of the year you could go the easy route and shovel things to the most convenient place possible, but that would royally bolt you over in the long-term. Not only would it make your life miserable, it would prevent you from successfully reaching your goal — at least without desperate measures.

In shoveling, business communication strategy, and life, always evaluate short-term gain versus long-term success. Shovel your way to communications strategy success. And as you do that, don’t get stuck in your driveway.

Social Media Changes Disaster Response

The recent blizzard experience puts social media once again in the disaster response limelight. Writer and editor Dina Fine Maron reported that when Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans in 2005, Facebook was the new kid on the block. There was no Twitter for news updates, and the iPhone was not yet on the scene.

Hurricane Sandy crashed New Jersey in 2012, and by that time social media had become an essential component of disaster response, filling the void in spots where cellphone service was lost while millions of Americans looked to resources including Twitter and Facebook to keep themselves informed, locate loved ones, notify authorities and express support. Gone are the days of one-way communication where only official sources provide bulletins on disaster news. These social media applications were also used in the aftermath of the devastation wrought by typhoon Haiyan — better known as Yolanda in the Philippines — in several Visayan provinces in 2014.

The 2016 blizzards inspired a frenzy of sharing, memes and social media hashtags. Images from across the affected areas show cars caught in snow banks, rising floodwaters and winter enthusiasts happy for an opportunity to ski down the street, motorists shoveling snow to free up vehicles, local residents going on a National Mall adventure, Smithsonian National Zoo’s resident pandas enjoying a frolic in the fresh powder.

Researchers, Maron said, have already started publishing data on the use of social media in disasters, and lawmakers and security experts have begun to assess how emergency management can best adapt. “The convergence of social networks and mobile has thrown the old response playbook out the window,” Michael Beckerman, president and CEO of the Internet Association, declared. The new playbook, however, will not do away with the emergency broadcast system and other government efforts. Rather, it will incorporate new data from researchers, government agencies and nonprofits that have begun to reveal the exact penetration of social media in disasters.

Each disaster generates its own multi-faceted web of fast-paced information exchange, and that’s a good thing since it can both improve disaster response and allow affected populations to take control of their situation as well as feel empowered. Today, drawing up an effective social media strategy and tweaking it to fit an emergency is a crucial part of preparedness planning. As part of the process, it would be useful to teach the public how to use social media effectively, how to get information from the web and also how to put out useful information. “Tweets flow so quickly it’s like a fire hose where you’re trying to extract bits of information that are relevant,” notes Maron.

All the fast-paced information available via social media does pose inherent risks when navigating emergency situations. An example is the rapid spread of misinformation, which can easily go viral. Another key risk is the use of social media by scammers to steal cash. Whereas caring agencies, such as the American Red Cross, can efficiently raise money for humanitarian assistance using new technologies, social media can also be a lucrative platform for scam artists that crop up in the wake of tragedy.

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Email bongosorio@yahoo.com or bong_osorio@abs-cbn.com for comments, questions or suggestions. Thank you for communicating.