1. 1. Lessons learned from SnowedOutAtlanta Michelle Sollicito March 2014
2. 2. Who am I (Personal)? Mother of two children Live in Marietta, North of Atlanta Run Marietta Moms (for 7 years) Involved in Educational Advocacy
3. 3. Who am I (Professional)? 25+ years experience in IT and Websites Business Continuity Planning/Disaster Recovery Book Started my own company TxtToAd.com Work for Apogee on a part-time basis StormCentral Read lots of business books Facebook Effect (David Kirkpatrick)
4. 4. Before The Storm Warned schools might close early Left Apogee early to get kids from school Skidded on the way home Friends were trying to get husbands home I connected people to help each other I called for a State of Emergency, we all called Deal Set up SnowedOutAtlanta at 4:15pm approx.
5. 5. Facts and Figures (Snow Day 1) 4:15pm approx started SnowedOutAtlanta Started with mainly road /route information Gathered news from websites and the news and others on the site 5:20pm Governor Deal announced State of Emergency, EOC opened 6pm 9pm desperation started to set in Darkness 911 no answer Women with babies (no diapers or formula) No bathrooms, food/drink, meds, warmth Schoolbuses had not arrived home
6. 6. Facts and Figures (Snow Day 1) Mood changed in the group after about 8pm to one of rescue 400 people had been helped directly by 11pm 29,000 members by midnight 500 people put their OWN HOME on the google map, offering shelter to strangers!
7. 7. Facts and Figures (Snow Day 1) By 8:30am approx the next morning it was over 46,000 Helped a lot of people get home the next day Helped a lot of people locate their cars after the event Maximum members at 53,415 members
8. 8. Content(Snow Day1) Where gas was available, food and drink, car chargers etc. Advice on how to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning, avoid running out of gas, keep warm etc. Hooked up travellers nearby Where was shelter available (Google Maps) Home Depot Kroger/Publix Waffle House Chick Fil A Hotels Peoples homes
9. 9. The Emotions of It All Elizabeths mom Katie and Craig Deena Loetzs son got to ER Pregnant sister is found Kids on schoolbuses for 12+ hours
10. 10. Companies, Snow Day 1 Companies sheltered people, got BIG kudos: Fairfield Inn, Hammond Drive Home Depot Chick Fil A Waffle House Kroger, Publix (mixed response)
11. 11. Before Storm 2 (Feb 11th) Very clear message not to go out after 4:30pm Lots of preparation messages on SnowedOutAtlanta Emergency Kits for everyone, every situation Weather radios, CB/Ham radios Clear message of power outages being likely How to prepare for power outages
12. 12. Before Storm 2 (Feb 11th) Clear unified message about the threat All agencies Catastrophic Once in a lifetime event State of Emergency in 88 counties in GA
13. 13. Before Storm - Utilities Links to Utilities info about how to prepare Georgia Power video for setting up alerts Many on the site did not know about other power companies Very few people seemed to know this info was out there
14. 14. Before Storm - Utilities People felt the Utilities were well-prepared
15. 15. Before Storm - Utilities Many people posted info they found useful Asked questions
16. 16. Georgia Power People liked when the utilities were honest They liked the warnings It scared them (good!) Liked tools (esp apps!)
17. 17. Facts and Figures (SnowDay 2) Mainly night of Feb 11th to Feb 12th 53,000 people on SnowedOutAtlanta Huge numbers of power outages were reported 113,000+ Georgia Power customers alone were affected AJC reported 150,000 out of power in Georgia My perception from the site is it was higher than that
18. 18. The Emotions of It All Kelli and her 6 kids 911 gave bad advice? People were very upset
19. 19. The Emotions of It All Trent Redmons Grandmother In her 80s In hospital bed Machines not working Power outage
20. 20. Utilities Bad Vibes for some Outage maps unavailable due to load Phone lines busy Confusing advice between 911/utilities Long outages
21. 21. Utilities Monitored Closely Marietta Power and Water Even CNN reported to be only counting Georgia Power!
22. 22. Utilities Georgia Power Outages Monitored Very Closely
23. 23. Utilities Info on how to interact with Georgia Power was quickly shared
24. 24. Utilities Misinformation was quickly cleared up Many (even news reporters??) seemed to think Georgia Powers map showed ALL outages across Georgia People tried to correct that misinformation
25. 25. Utilities SMS tools were LOVED and shared!
26. 26. Why Facebook? Responsive Most smartphones, tablets and computers supported Widely-used Get the word out to a mass audience quickly Vote by Like or Comment The most needy cases bubbled to the top Empowered people to help themselves/others Central source of GREAT information Updated central document with latest information Updated Google Map with central info
27. 27. Why Maps? Google Maps was very popular 511 Traffic Map too StormCenter type Maps too
28. 28. Why Twitter? Used by phones with minimal capabilities Real-time, fast updates Mass audience Can see updates from multiple sources at once (e.g. GEMA, Governor Deal, local Police, 511 etc.)
29. 29. Conclusions People can do a lot in a crisis (Tracy Hoover, Points of Light website) People are empowered by Facebook / Social Media Connectedness is key to survival both psychologically and physically in Emergency situations Helping people actually became addictive!
30. 30. Conclusions "You can conquer almost any fear if you will only make up your mind to do so. For remember, fear doesn't exist anywhere except in the mind. Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy ~Dale Carnegie Questions?
31. 31. Appendix Utilities gave warnings
32. 32. Appendix People advised others on preparation for outages
33. 33. Appendix People discussed predictions of how bad the storm would be People discussed preparation levels
34. 34. Appendix People advised others on preparation for outages
35. 35. Appendix People reported outages on the site People were told how to report outages
36. 36. Appendix People loved Georgia Power Facebook page and Youtube videos
37. 37. Appendix People felt Utilities were prepared
38. 38. Appendix 2 AJC reported more than 150,000 without power in GA
39. 39. Appendix 2 Status of outages reported in real time
40. 40. Appendix 3 Elizabeths Mom 9:17pm first post 10:50pm she is found by SnowedOutAtlanta members 11:24pm ambulance arrives
41. 41. Appendix 3 Katie and Craig 8mths pregnant 3 yr old son No food, drink, bathroom Katie posted at 1:41am SnowedOutAtlanta got to her at 4:30am SnowedOutAtlanta got to her Home at 7:59am