How Social Media Tools Have Helped Flood Victims

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After a makeshift barrier of sandbags holding back the swollen Mississippi River burst early Saturday morning, the citizens of Winfield, MO, prepared for the worst. In addition to the 300 National Guard members working around-the-clock to help, a new ally had volunteered as well -- the online social media tool Twitter. The Web site’s effort to keep people in the region informed was a valuable tool.

Consider the manner in which St. Louis’s Fox affiliate, Channel 2, used Twitter during their coverage of the floods.

As floodwaters peaked over the weekend in northern Missouri, MyFox-St.Louis was broadcasting hourly bulletins via Twitter, providing folks with up-to-the minute coverage. Specifically, Twitter member “myfoxstl” was sending out hourly messages, called “tweets” in Twitter-ese, reminding citizens that, “If you're a flood victim and you need help, call FEMA, The Federal Emergency Management Agency, at 800-621-FEMA (3362).”

Tech-savvy persons are aware of Twitter’s role online as a community of friends and strangers who are able to send updates about key moments in their lives. They’ve seen curious people form new friendships. The blogger universe has used it as a miniature blogging tool. But, recent catastrophes such as the Midwestern floods have demonstrated Twitter’s critical role in breaking news.

“Twitter is a valuable tool for us when we’re communicating with volunteers in the field,” said Lindy Harmon, a spokesperson for the Red Cross. “Our goal is to provide people with real-time updates in our online newsroom.”

“Another powerful tool we’ve been using is Utterz, which allows people to call in, leave a detailed message, and Utterz formats it into an MP3 which allows us to post it on our site.”

Geoff Livingston, CEO of Washington, DC-based Livingston Communications, is a public relations strategist in addition to an expert on all things involving social media. Livingston, who previously worked with the Red Cross to help enhance the agency’s use of social media, noted that the “Red Cross has started using Twitter since people and volunteers can follow updates over their cell phone.”

“They are then directed back to the Red Cross's online newsroom, where more information is provided in real-time,” said Livingston. “It's the latest example of a social media site being used during a disaster. I believe that the first time Twitter was used was during the California wildfires in 2007.”

A little over two weeks ago – and roughly 240 miles upstream of Winfield, MO, at 8:44 AM on June 11 to be precise, Des Moines, Iowa resident Cale Johnson was twittering: “Folks at my company are sandbagging in the rain. I'm writing a(nother) proposal,” wrote Johnson. “At the moment, I think I'd rather be sandbagging...”

Meanwhile, blogger Andy Brutdkuhl was in the midst of launching a brand new site called IowaFloods.com. By June 13th, after the sandbags at Johnson’s company (CDS Global) had withstood a historic onslaught of floodwater, Brutdkuhl’s site had gone through three servers and witnessed over 40,000 hits in a span of just 72 hours.

“It was a mix of blogs, Twitter, and aggregate sites like IowaFlood.com that I used to stay up on the latest developments. Sometimes they offered first-hand content, such as
photos, videos and stories and sometimes they simply pointed to traditional media content,” said Johnson via email. “The key, of course, is that these tools offered me a constant feed of fresh, often firsthand content.”

Todd Mundt, Director of New Media Strategies at Louisville (KY) Public Media, an Iowa expatriate, wrote on his blog that these social media sites have helped direct him straight to the affected areas that he cares about the most.

“I can find out what’s it like in my old neighborhood in downtown Des Moines,” wrote Mundt, blogging from his Louisville office. “The Twitter community in Des Moines helps me find out what the streets and bridges I walked on every day look like right now.”

Besides just helping those far away keep abreast of information, social media tools will be a key place for citizens like Cale Johnson to turn to when the next disaster strikes.

“I’m amazed at the fascinating results of user-generated content, and the floods have been a great catalyst for it,” said Johnson. “I've seen some amazing photography and some great stories - everything from the tragic, to the funny, to the heartwarming.”

And, if sites like Twitter continue to do their job, maybe even to the lifesaving.