In a recent post about his meetings with the Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA), and other Delaware state officials, Mark Zuckerberg talked of the potential for Facebook as a tool in disaster response – whether as a tool for fundraising, for community coordination, or as a method for letting people “check in” to notify others that they’re safe.
Director of UD’s Disaster Research Council Jim Kendra also noted the power of Facebook, commenting “I think where Facebook has an advantage is because people are so familiar with Facebook in general, so it’s not that they have to learn to use a separate emergency management tool or application, it’s just another feature of something that they’re already very familiar with.”
DEMA director A.J. Schall said of the speed of Facebook, “Sometimes they’re going to get an official message quicker than they do through radio, TV or other areas,” while also noting DEMA’s use of it for “situation reports, weather watches and warnings.”
Wrote Zuckerberg, “disaster response is an area where Facebook is in a unique position to help keep our community safe.”
Source:
http://delawarepublic.org/post/facebook-founder-mark-zuckerberg-talks-disaster-management-delaware
