How You Can Use Social Media in an Emergency

Victims of recent natural disasters like the devastating tornado in Joplin, Mo., or the frightening earthquake and tsunami in Japan, have turned to social media as a means to connect with family, friends and emergency responders. Here are a few tips to help you use social media to your advantage in the case of an emergency.

Be prepared 

- Consider using a mapping tool like Google Maps to help you create an escape route and meeting place. Google Maps has a feature that allows users to share maps with friends online and the maps are also printable. Consider printing out a few and laminating them.

- Make sure you have a recent photo and an accurate description of your family members on hand in case you need to give the information to authorities or post to a social community.

- Create a Facebook or Twitter account. By no means do you have to be a social media butterfly, but in the case of a mass emergency it will give you another means of communication. Twitter reported a record-breaking 177 million tweets on the day of the earthquake in Japan as well as a record number of new accounts added the day after the quake.

During an emergency  

- In the event of a large natural disaster, conventional phone lines may go down or become overloaded. But Internet connections can often withstand disasters better than phone lines, making social media and email a better option.

- If you are directly affected, the news may not be as beneficial as hyper-local updates. Twitter and Facebook are both helpful because they offer real-time updates as well as location sharing.

- To find information about a disaster on Twitter, try looking for relevant search terms and look for groups or pages on Facebook that are offering resources for victims.

- Finally, remember to make sure you get reliable information. Most emergency management organizations now have a social media presence including FEMA, the National Weather Service and the Red Cross.

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