HHS social media responds to Hurricane Sandy
By Nick Garlow
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) plays a vital role in disasters like Hurricane Sandy.
While recovery efforts will continue for some time, HHS will remain committed to relaying vital information to the public.
When it became clear that #Sandy was going to hit the East Coast two weeks ago, the department was ready. By Friday night of October 26th, the www.hhs.gov billboard read, “Be Prepared. Be Informed.” This billboard offered links to sites, such as FEMA and the Red Cross, and other agencies that could immediately address the needs of those in the storm’s path.
The idea was to provide real-time information to those folks weathering the storm in their homes, with little power and little time to prepare.
If you logged into Twitter and searched #Sandy at that time, HHS accounts popped up left and right, promoting information on how to be ready for the storm, and retweeting other agencies’s (like FEMA).
HHS communicators had to be short, concise, and act fast. Beginning on Oct. 26, they did!
ASPR: Be Prepared for Hurricane #Sandy - Understand the effects of Inland Flooding - http://bit.ly/ROFptf
FoodSafety.Gov: Weathering the #storm. #FoodSafety during #Power #Outages: http://youtu.be/GkFqAbqO38Q #Hurricane #Sandy
HHS.Gov: Prepare for whatever Hurricane #Sandy has to offer: http://go.usa.gov/Yd7j via @Readydotgov.
And the tweets and Facebook posts never stopped. As the storm and recovery involved, so did the tweets to address the health concerns of those hit by the storm. Another way that HHS agencies reached out to the public via social media included blogs:
“Beware of Frankenstorm” – Posted Friday, Oct. 26, 2012 http://www.acf.hhs.gov/blog/2012/10/beware-of-frankenstorm
“Federal Emergency Response Now Includes Human Services” – Posted Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2012 http://www.acf.hhs.gov/blog/2012/10/federal-emergency-response-now-includes-human-services
Events like Sandy remind us how we can better coordinate, collaborate, and ultimately improve our services for the American people. Those who manage federal social media accounts should use this opportunity to review their own methods and practices for disasters and large-scale events that affect so many people.
Nicholas Garlow is a Public Affairs Specialist in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs. His full office location acronym is HHS/OS/ASPA/WCD. |
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