The Federal Emergency Management Agency began looking at electronic Web-based models of communication in March 2008 as a way to more effectively inform the public of its mission, according to a FEMA public information officer.

The agency saw a gap growing between mass communications and more interactive social media, John Shea of FEMA's Office of External Affairs told BNA Aug. 4.

The agency now has a presence on third-party social media sites, including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Through these, FEMA is seeking to establish a dialogue about emergency preparedness with the public, Shea said.

YouTube Videos

The agency now records videos for posting on the video-sharing site YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/fema, according to Shea. FEMA has recorded individuals who have experienced disasters offering advice on emergency preparations.

As of Aug. 5, the agency had 168 videos on its YouTube site.

By using visual stories, the agency hopes members of the public will identify with those who survived disasters, Shea noted.

He offered the example of a video recording of a South Florida man's preparations for a possible hurricane. The video shows him downloading a list of all evacuation shelters in the state, he said.

All Disasters Are Local

The agency's primary mission is to encourage preparation before an emergency, Shea said.

During disasters, most decisions about assistance and response are made by state and local emergency management officials.

Those officials in turn rely on assistance from the American Red Cross and Humane Society of the United States, he noted.

Shea explained FEMA's role is supplemental to state and local efforts.

The agency's social networking activities are decentralized, Shea said. FEMA has created accounts on social networking sites for its regional offices. During an emergency, regional office staff now can disseminate information without having to coordinate their efforts with headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Exploring Social Media

FEMA's social media efforts have expanded to Twitter, a microblogging site where users post 140-character updates. The agency's updates, called “tweets,” can be found on Twitter's site at http://twitter.com/femainfocus.

FEMA also encourages its own agency personnel to explore the possibilities for interaction offered by the third-party sites. Under agency policy, FEMA employees who participate in social media only represent themselves but are encouraged to share their expertise.

The agency also suggests FEMA employees use sites like Facebook and Twitter for their personal emergency plans. These sites can help agency employees plan for communication with family members during a disaster.

FEMA's Facebook page includes tips linking to resources elsewhere on the Web for preparation, evacuation, sheltering in place, and recovery (http://www.facebook.com/fema).

Feedback Welcomed

As FEMA's social media offerings continue to evolve and be refined, the agency welcomes advice and comments from the public, according to Shea. FEMA views its social media efforts as interactive and much more than simply “checking a box” on a list of external communications.

Other users of social networking sites have welcomed and supported FEMA's efforts, Shea said. Users on Twitter have given the agency advice and feedback on what works and does not work on the social networking site.

Registered YouTube users can embed FEMA's videos on their own blogs or Web sites.

Twitter, YouTube, and other third-party sites have consented to special user agreements with FEMA. As a federal agency, FEMA has special concerns about its participation.

For example, the agency's comment policy on its YouTube channel states FEMA will not post comments that include abusive or vulgar language, hate speech, personal attacks, or spam (unsolicited bulk messages).

At the same time, acceptance within the federal government of social media is changing, Shea noted. New leaders at several agencies are interested in exploring the potential of social media tools to help them carry out their missions, he added.

“We're always looking at our models of communication and modifying them,” Shea said.

For example, during the agency's response to Hurricane Ike, which made landfall at Galveston Island, Texas, Sept. 13, 2008, FEMA used both Twitter and YouTube to keep the public informed.

FEMA now is exploring the social media successes at nongovernmental organizations. One such model is the Disaster Online Newsroom created by the American Red Cross (http://newsroom.redcross.org/).

The newsroom enables Red Cross staff on the ground to provide updates about current response efforts.

FEMA also is beginning to look at the potential for “crowd-sourcing” projects. The agency is examining how data it has might be useful in collaborative projects related to emergency preparedness and management.

By Guy A. Burdick

Copyright 2009, The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc.