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Opinion

Social media is an indispensable tool in times of crisis

Seth Liss
Contact ReporterSun Sentinel Columnist

It's been only a few years since social media sites gained wide audiences, and already they're playing a vital role in helping people respond to major disasters.

They have been used to coordinate volunteer efforts, raise money, spread information, save lives after the earthquake in Haiti and now in the cleanup effort for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. With hurricane season only two weeks away, social media channels will certainly be key if there is a major storm in South Florida.

As for the oil spill, the social media efforts worth noting are:

Oilspill.labucketbrigade.org — This site, set up by set up by a New Orleans advocacy group called the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, features a user-generated oil spill crisis map. The site collects and maps witnesses' texts, tweets and email messages about the impact of the spill along the coast.

For instance, users report a "funny smell in the air in Orlando, a dead sea turtle in the Panhandle, and blobs of oil on plants. The user generated mapping software called Ushahidi was developed to track political violence in Kenya and was used in the earthquake relief efforts in Haiti.

Here's how the Bucket Brigade folks describe their goals: The "map utilizes public testimony to visualize the impact of the BP oil spill over time and geography. By using information that comes from participants we will be able to track, document and make public the effects of the BP oil spill. By making all information public we will facilitate transparency, accountability and effectiveness in the oil spill response and clean up."

DeepwaterHorizonResponse.com — The site for the groups handling the oil spill response and cleanup. It is hosted by British Petroleum, which owns the oil and Transocean, which owned the rig as well as several federal government agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard, the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of the Interior.

The site, DHR, provides numbers for people to call to report spill-related damage to wildlife, the shoreline and property. People can volunteer to help on the site, or make damage claims. The site also asks people to submit alternative ideas for responding to the crises. At the very top of the site are links to their Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube pages.

DHR's Facebook page has more than 17,000 followers and is constantly updated with maps, photos, videos and news updates. Each update gets several comments, including harsh criticism in some cases. The DHR folks answers questions and sometimes respond to criticism.

For instance, last Sunday, a Facebook user named Karen Landers left a comment that she had heard tar balls were arriving at the shores. DHR officials responded to her comment: "@Karen, correct. Some tarballs were found on Dauphen Island yesterday," and they provided a link to a story about it.

Landers, of Winter Haven, said in a Facebook interview that social media has helped involve the public in issues related to the spill. "We are having a healthy discussion of what will be the true impact of this devastation on our lives in Florida. Preparation is everything so people don't panic and know exactly what they are dealing with."

Social media exchanges are again showing us that when a disaster or tragedy strikes, hiding or blaming is not an option. There is no controlling the message, especially with the way information spreads virally. It forces the groups involved to act in good faith and hear out the public.

It remains to be seen whether the spill could have been prevented, but what's clear is that BP's cooperation with the government – including the joint information and social media campaign – has helped defuse some of the public outrage about it.

Seth Liss is deputy online editor for SunSentinel.com. You may reach him at sliss@sun-sentinel.com.

Copyright © 2016, Sun Sentinel
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