Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Social Media used by all

http://www.fireengineering.com/news/wire_story_display.html?dcmp=rss§ion=WIREN&category=HOME&id=178804&publicationId=25

FEMA wants public involved in disaster preparedness
washingtonpost.com (June 4, 2009)

"As we prepare for disasters, we have to look at the public as a resource, not as a liability," Fugate said during a conference call with homeland security bloggers on Tuesday -- one of the first times a DHS official has hosted a forum exclusively for online journalists.

"With all the other stuff we do at FEMA, that's one area that you'll probably hear and see me talk about more consistently than probably any other subject," he said, without providing any specific details for how he planned to recruit average Americans for the task.

Fugate touted the agency's YouTube and Twitter efforts and DisasterHelp.gov as examples of the agency's efforts to spread the word in new ways. During a visit to FEMA headquarters late last week, President Obama urged residents of hurricane-prone areas to plan ahead for this year's tropical weather, suggesting that preparedness is a responsibility of citizenship.

Go to the link for entire article.