The New Crisis Response Team

Social media saves lives.

Now there’s something you probably haven’t heard before. But, it’s true.

The faster emergency aid can be delivered during a disaster, the lower the death toll. Fortunately, speed is among social media’s best qualities. Victims can send a tweet and within seconds, the entire Twittersphere knows that that victim is caught under rubble on Main Street. 

Social media also raises money, reunites families, and helps to locate pets and items lost during natural disasters. After the tornado in Moore, Oklahoma, residents created a Facebook page to find their lost documents and photos. Currently, over 12,000 people have joined. Photos like the one below litter the page, along with posts about volunteering and donation sites.

Many used social media to check on friends and family. Even more sent their condolences, like Oklahoma-raised celebrities Toby Keith, Reba McEntire, and Carrie Underwood.

Another example of social media in crisis situations is the Haiti Earthquake. Forty-eight hours after the Red Cross launched it’s $10 donation campaign, it had raised $32 million dollars. Most of this success was due to Twitter. The tweet announcing the initiative was retweeted 2.3 million times.

Despite the inevitable dark side of social media, the benefits are growing by the day. The face of crisis communication has been forever changed.  Natural disasters are devastating, but now, the whole world has become the response team. 

By: Maura Stewart from Rebecca Adele PR & Events