Emergency Management works to reduce the impact of disasters by identifying and reducing risks from disasters--finding solutions to problems before they are needed so they are in reach, or even better-so the problems don't happen. Some people face higher risks during disasters because of reduced access to information, increased barriers to being able to avoid harm. Social media has the potential to make it easier to get the people who face the highest risks involved so we have a change of making that designation meaningless.

1. Utilizing Social Networks to Reach Disability and Emergency Management Communities Carol Dunn, City of Bellevue Emergency Preparedness Division @caroldn www.2resilience.org 2resilience Blog

2. Succeed or Fail? Social Media Fail: “What do I do with it?” Success: “What can I do better with it?”

3. What does Emergency Management work to do better? Reduce the impact from disasters How? persuading others to act. Social media has the potential to help emergency management do this better.

4. Reduce risk of harm Identify who faces the highest risks & work to reduce the risks: In unsafe area, or structure Unaware of hazard or how to reduce risks Taken by surprise: no warning Unable to get to a safe location Unable to communicate need for help Lose access to critical necessities or service

5. Social Media Potential Overcoming communication barriers Hazard identification & risk reduction online maps, training, tutorials Raising Awareness Potential for direct and passive contact with individuals that face higher risk factors and their families, friends & care-providers. Provide tools so people can act independently

6. Independence #PDXBoom

7. Independence

8. But: April 13: The State of California Predicts an 8.4 Earthquake within 24 Hours Forwarded almost 500 times-people left work, rumors ran rampant

9. But! Social Media has great potential reducing and overcoming communication and information barriers: BUT Accessibility isn’t automatic-takes thought and planning Not everyone has access to social media Many rules block the ability to take advantage

10. A police officer using in-car laptop/camera to connect with ASL interpreter via Video Relay is against FCC rules Insurance companies won’t cover netbooks/smart phones for medical use

11. Work to be done! Work to adopt policies and build infrastructure that will end the digital divide. Reach out and influence each other=work to merge. Best way to overcome largest challenges is to take advice from people who solve them every day.

12. List of web tools List of Social Media/Web 2.0 Tools http://tinyurl.com/Soc-Media-tools Web Based Real Time Information http://tinyurl.com/Real-Time-Information Overcoming Communication Barriers http://tinyurl.com/Overcome-comm-barriers