HR Talk

Tsunami

Tweet Responsibly

The earthquake was beneath the sea floor off the coast of the Bonin Islands in the Pacific Ocean. Over the course of the next 3 hours after the earthquake, various news and scientific communities analyzed, reported and adjusted their views on whether or not a tsunami was generated and the scope of the risk to the public. The official source and also the best source of information on the Japanese coastline Tsunami watch and warnings as well as observations of the actual waves can be found on the JapanMeteorological Agency website http://www.jma.go.jp/en/tsunami/index.html.

THE RUSH TO TWEET

Look through the tweets below, what would you think? It’s no surprise that some countries scrambled to confirm facts and quell rumors of impacts to their coastlines. Social Media users who are sharing information regarding emerging events need to be cognizant of how their message will be received by others.  Twitter has no geographic boundaries.  Saying Tsunami Warning or no tsunami for the west coast has no value to someone when the location is missing.  Worse than that…someone may assume the message is for their location and it is for another country.

SORTING THROUGH THE NOISE

Imagine you are living in a coastal community somewhere in the world, and you see the following messages in Twitter….

Was that helpful?  No?  Let’s see if these help….

TWEETING TIPS

 
Considering just the choice of words (and not making any assessment on facts) the most effective use of Twitter for communicating this event would be #4.  7.4 earthquake off Japan’s coast triggered a tsunami warning for remote islands and advisory for so Japan. CNN reports: (link).  This message clearly states the location of not only the earthquake but most importantly – the location under the threat of a tsunami warning and an advisory for southern Japan and also includes the source of the information.  Another good one is #3 Japanese Meteorological Association Issues Mild Tsunami Warning #JAPAN #TSUNAMI (link).

Here is a message that fell far short of its desire to educate the public #8. Tsunami Information: no destructive widespread tsunami threat exists based on historical earthquake data. Ho…(continued on link) There is no location information in the message and the most critical piece of information needed by Japan and all of the other countries interested in know about the impact for their coastlines was information that ran over the twitter limit of 140 characters.

Would the name of the twitter user sway your decision on what story to believe?  If the name of the twitter account included the name Tsunami, NOAA, Earthquake, Quake, CNN, News, or any variation, would that improve your confidence in the information shared? We encourage the public to follow the guidance of their local officials during a disaster.  But some twitter users appear to be official and are not. There are times also when information from official channels is published too slowly to ensure the safety of the public.  When a tsunami wave travels at up to 500 miles an hour and starts only a few miles offshore, there may not be sufficient time to analyze the buoy data and warn the public. 

Social Media tools can be very valuable and quite powerful during disaster.  The medium can be used to connect people with needed aid and connect aid agencies with people in need.  Disaster preparedness and response actions can be immediately delivered to thousands and millions of people who are in need. The risk of misleading the public impacted (and the public not impacted) because of this widespread visibility is perhaps equally concerning

The good news is that the tsunami wave generated was small and did not cause damage or loss of life.  The bad news is that the real facts were only confirmed hours after the earthquake and only after the small wave struck the remote islands south of the Japanese mainland.

If you live in a community at risk for a tsunami, connect with your local officials and be sure to have a plan for not only what to do if the threat is imminent but also know how will you be notified that a threat is imminent.  While it can be a powerful life saving source of information, don’t rely on Social Media as your only source of information.

And if you are tweeting disaster information keep in mind the fact that your message will be visible not only by your intended audience, but also by the global community.  Before you tweet, be sure you are providing information that is accurate, pertinent and contains information that will not increase the risk of the safety of the public.  Tweet responsibly.

Everyone should be able to call for help.  Someone should always be available to help them and a hospital should always be available to treat someone who needs help.

To make that a reality during major disasters, volunteers around the world are literally helping to change how the world responds and we are in the heart of helping to make that happen.  Humanity Road volunteers have been working with independent volunteers and organized groups to establish a repeatable and scalable process.  In a disaster, the first critical need is to rescue those in need and treat their wounds.  In the USA, when someone dials 911, their call is routed to a county emergency dispatch center.  Someone trained to handle urgent requests for help, takes the call and routes it to a first responder.  The first responder drives (or flies) to the victim and transports that person to a nearby hospital.  This is a basic process that repeats itself all over the world, using slightly different processes, phone numbers but the basic process is the same no matter where you live.

What is happening on the Internet is unique but globally repeatable in any disaster.

 WHO NEEDS HELP? www.ushahidi.com developed what is fast becoming a virtual global 911 triage messaging system that accepts SMS text messages for urgent needs.  For Pakistan this appears as www.pakreport.org . There is a ‘front end’ workflow queue to process incoming messages calledwww.crowdflower.com .  Volunteers use this tool to verify incoming SMS messages, assign a category to the report (emergency, shelter, etc). Humanity Road volunteers are assisting to screen incoming urgent needs, after which these messages appear in www.pakreport.org for dispatch. 

WHO CAN HELP THEM?  Dispatching from the Ushahidi platform, both in Haiti and in Pakistan is not yet structured.  In order to dispatch in a timely way, Aid agencies that are responding need to be able to retrieve the urgent need so that they may dispatch their teams.  Informal routing is still much the current mode of getting help to those who need help, but we fully expect this process to continue to develop.

WHERE CAN THEY GET MEDICAL CARE:  In a disaster, in addition to locating and rescuing people, first responders and the public need to know where is the nearest functioning hospital.  Google has developed a map based tool that can pinpoint all hospitals and then be updated with the status of those hospitals.  This was deployed for Haiti and also Pakistan.  Having a standard tool for both aid workers and the public is critical.  Humanity Road volunteers are working with Google to test this tool and provide input on improving functionality within the tool www.resource-finder.appspot.com . We retrieve the UN Health cluster reports for status of hospitals, to report functional or non functional, or damaged and help to update the status in the resource finder tool.

SUMMARY: In layman’s terms Pakreport operates much like a global 911, and resource finder is where those folks can be directed to for urgent medical care.   In many ways our volunteers are acting much like the Onstar of disaster response.  In a catastrophic event when there is an overwhelming amount of people needing medical care, technology will help mitigate loss of life.  People can become empowered to help themselves through the use of smart phones and virtual volunteers.  What we help to establish today in the global disaster arena will help the USA and other countries faced with a catastrophic event.  It’s not a matter of if…it’s a matter of when.

by Chris Thompson

Being a mom, I know above all else how much my family depends on me.  Today’s world comes with many challenges and being prepared for the unexpected can mean the difference between my family surviving or not.  Being prepared isn’t just about having the right supplies, it’s knowing what you can do with what you have.  NECESSITY IS THE MOTHER OF INVENTION, dire situations inspire ingenious solutions. If worse comes to worst, people will apply all their imagination and skill to deal with a problem and survive. Assume that a disaster can happen. Don't assume that it won't. Survival is 90 percent psychology, so being mentally and emotionally unprepared lowers your survival odds.  (Source)  What if you were stranded after a disaster, can you survive with just your purse?  Below are some ideas, please share your own ideas and links below.  Whats in your purse moms? 

WHATS IN MY PURSE:

Nail Polish: Did you know that matches may be water-proofed by dipping them in nail polish. Store your matches in a waterproof container.  The four most important factors when starting a fire are spark - tinder - fuel - oxygen. Lint from the dryer is the most flammable of tinder.  Source   

Scarf/Bandana:  A scarf or bandana can be used as a compression bandage, a sling, or protection from cold on the head, face or neck .  It can be dampened and worn around the face, nose and mouth as a mask for ash or smoke.  It can be used to cover your head in extreme cold.

Tampon/Maxi pad:  Absorbent and sterile, they can be used in a pinch for a field dressing or tinder for fire.

Compact Mirror:  You can use a makeup compact mirror to signal for help,  if you have a music CD in your purse it too will work great as a reflective signal.  If you need something sharp, you can break the mirror and use the shard to cut fabric or as a spearhead.

Metal Nail File:  Can be used as a spearhead if you need something sharper can be sharpened on a rock.  Can be used as a screwdriver or can be used in a pinch to gullet a fish.

Travel Sewing Kit:  In extreme emergencies you can use it to suture.

Credit Card:  Can be used to scrape snow, or ice from a windshield.

Ball Point Pen:  Besides the obvious, writing notes for help, the ball point pen is a deadly weapon for Attack defense

Condom:  Water container, Cover the barrel of a rifle in order to keep debris out, Use as a sterile dressing to cover a wound, use as sterile gloves to tend a wound, blow it up and use as fish bait, blow it up and use as a bobber while fishing, Use as a waterproof container for matches, or use it to water proof a cell phone or pill bottle. Rubber gloves or condoms can be used as an ice bag to pack pulse point with ice. Armpits, behind knees, femoral arteries at groin, back of neck, temples

Disposable Rain Poncho or Rain bonnet:  Can be used to collect rainwater.  Spread it out and tie it up to a tree, or to twigs.  Angle it so that rain drips along it into a container to collect rain, use dental floss for the rope.  If you’re not carrying a mylar emergency blanket you can use the poncho as a protective ground barrier blanket.  You can use the rain bonnet to wrap and carry your catch of the day.  (See dental floss and snare hunting, fishing)

Bottle of water:  Rehydration is important.  But after the bottle is empty, collect some charcoal, sand, dirt and grass and you can make a home made water purifying system  and run your water through.  Or cut off the top and create a fishing trap

Chapstick:  Can be rubbed on cheeks and face to prevent chapping, rub on small nicks or cuts to protect it from the sting of the air, nursing mothers rub it on sore nipples, Chemically akin to wax, it can be used as a skin ointment or water-proofing wax.  It can be melted and applied to some fabrics as a water proofing substitute which will help form a protective barrier from the damp cold.

Hair Spray:  Hairspray is a good emergency insect spray and will kill most flying insects.  Source.  Means of Self Defense - Hairspray doesn’t only preserve hairstyles but it may also stop muggers dead in their tracks. When a mugger makes his move, get your can of hairspray and splash a generous amount of hairstyling solution on his face. It will sting his eyes and irritate his sinuses. You then have the option to flee or to bop the baddie with the spray can.  Hairspray is highly flammable, spraying it on tinder before you light a fire will promote a more intense flame.  Never spray on or near an open flame.

Pantyhose:  Cut strips of hose work great for snake bite in case you need to restrict blood flow in a hurry!  Or you could cut the leg off a pair of nylons and place therapy pack in the center. Position the pack where you want it and tie the ends around the body and secure. Cut a circle from a pair of support pantyhose and slip arm or leg through it to hold gauze in place.  You can use a strip of pantyhose to dry herbs, to tie items to a small sapling to keep items dry or up off the ground.  Cut off and tie one leg in a loop, to create a simple sling or make a fishing net using panty hose tied with string, and a y shaped stick..

Eyeglass Repair Kit:  Many eyeglass repair kits come with a small magnifying glass.  This can be used on tinder to start a fire.

Dental Floss:  Highly durable waterproof string.  Good for Snare hunting, fishing, or Fishing Skewer,  tying off tarps in the rain, tying bandages in first aid.  Tie up bunches of herbs to hang and dry or tie a bundle of tinder, small branches and hang them in a dry area to dry/age.  It can used as a cooking or clothes line to hang items to dry.  You can use it to stitch a hole in canvas tent or tarp. Emergency medical uses : In emergency cases, dental floss had been used to tie up severed arteries as a result of a freak accident and to tie up umbilical cord in an emergency delivery.  Read more: http://gomestic.com/homemaking/30-unique-uses-for-dental-floss/#ixzz0r1kCgii8

Safety Pins:  once cleansed, and sterilized under a flame, in a pinch can be used for removing debris from wounds, can be used as a fishing hook.

by Humanity Road

During a catastrophic event it is important to focus on three things. You may be in shock. Do not be distracted by noise and confusion.

         Survive   Stay Safe, Treat Wounds.

         Sustain     Find Water, Food, Shelter

         Reunite    Find Loved Ones

Our team of volunteers around the world are constantly updating this information so that people know where to go and whom to call to begin the road to recovery.

A catastrophic event is much different than other disasters.  In a disaster, people and property are severely impacted but recovery is relatively fast. Aid agencies are onsite or in contact with impacted persons within a few days.  In a catastrophic disaster, hundreds of thousands or millions of people are impacted. The geography impacted may be hundreds of miles in diameter.  In such a case, it may be weeks until aid reaches those affected.  

The information we provide is easy to find, but the research behind knowing what to tell the public at this time of need and how to display it in any easy to read manner is the result of 11 years of analyzing, responding to, and learning from how the public reacts in times of widespread need in the United States (9/11, Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Ike).  

We invite you to register and become a citizen of Humanity Road, Inc.^sm to help us help others in these extraordinary times.   Registration is open to all individuals active in the aid and recovery process.   You can register to participate as a volunteer or to be listed in our directory of disaster responders on current and future events.  If you would like to partner with us on future initiatives, we welcome your input and recommendations.  Please write to us at partners@humanityroad.org.

By Leesa Astredo, @viequesbound

August 29th, 2005, a disaster strikes the Gulf Coast. Louisiana and Mississippi are hardest hit. It is a way of life though, on the Gulf coast. You know a hurricane will come, you just don't know when.

Nearly 5 years later, the shadows of Katrina still exist along the Gulf Coast area. Some shadows are now in the form of art-the oak tree stumps along the Mississippi coast have been carved into wildlife figures. There are some dolphins and pelicans-beauty that arose from the rubble.

Then there are the remains of families lives, destroyed homes and neighborhoods still stand as constant reminders. No beauty from this rubble. Still, you rebuild, you stay on the Gulf Coast. It is a way of life.

Now, here we are, today, May 12th, 2010. Again, the Gulf Coast is facing yet another disaster. This time the disaster is man-made. An oil slick sits a few miles off the Louisiana coast. Some has already made landfall.

Oil spills and hurricanes have similarities in the fact, both are disasters you fear and both make you sit and wait. Both have the power to inflict horrific damage to anything they come in contact with. But…a hurricane comes on shore, inflicts its damage and leaves. You see the damage, you plan your recovery and you rebuild. Hurricanes are a way of life. But oil spills…oil spills are definitely NOT a way of life.

The magnitude of this oil spill is unprecedented. And at the same time, almost serenely, the oil is rolling along gently in the waves, swirling about with the currents. The water gives you a sense of relaxation. But, it does not relax the sea turtles or the pelicans or the shrimp or the shrimpers seeking the catch that is their livelihoods.

So now we sit…waiting, wondering, when and where is the oil going to land. How bad will it be? What will the ramifications be? How much land will the oil submerge? When will the leak be stopped? How much of our wildlife will be harmed? How many jobs will be lost? How much of our already fragile wetlands will be lost forever? How many beaches will be coated with the "black tide"? Will all this oil and deterrents used affect our health? Will we have any fish, shrimp or oysters left? So many questions, so many fears, so much uncertainity. No, this is NOT a way of life here…our way of life is in great danger.

Now, I am frightened, afraid of an uncertain, unclear future. Living in Louisiana has taught me the value of the land and waters that God provided us with. I have learned that family is above all else. We fish the waters and hunt the land, just as our forefathers did. We "pass a good time" here, we boil shrimp, crabs and crawfish. All friends and family are invited over to "boil". We listen to cajun and zydeco music, we dance in the streets and love a good parade. We honor the dead with a paradeand music as we celebrate the life that was. We spend many, many hours out of doors with our family and our neighbors. Homes were built to have gatherings on our porches and just to enjoy a summer breeze.That is the way of life here along the Gulf Coast, that is the way of life that now is in such danger of becoming extinct.

Next time you here about the need to support our wetlands here in Louisiana, know that to those of us who live here, keeping our wetlands means keeping our "way of life".

Read more about Leesa and other Humanity Road Volunteers.