See See!
Crisis Communication
I have been around Tornadoes in Texas, Hurricanes on the East Coast, and other 'normal' Natural Disasters. These can be deadly, but there is a familiarity that helps save lives. For example, when a earthquake hits California, most everyone knows what it is, what to do, and has resources & plans in place.
I was also in Saudi Arabia watching Airplanes run into buildings, South Texas when a Church Shooting occurred, Virginia during an Earth Quake, and the DFW area when a Malaria outbreak was happening. These unfamiliar events caused panic, shock, and confusion. Events like a fertilizer plant exploding, abuse of power, or unclean drinking water are already difficult enough, especially when there isn't any prior knowledge of what to do, how to respond, or what resources are available.
Emergency Operations Plans are available in most locations, but they are limited in scope. Understandably a location that has never had an earthquake would probably not have a lot of information about this type of risk. In addition the public is at a disadvantage as crisis communication is being collected to hopefully save lives. The vision for See See is to provide a place for sharing information with others before they are at a disadvantage of facing the disaster.
The other day my home town's Emergency Management Page posted on Facebook that a skunk was found with rabies. I was surprised because I didn't know my small town had an emergency management Facebook page. While I should have searched before, like most things in life 'you don't know what you don't know'.
See See is designed to provide information about all types of natural disasters, risk, and tragic events in order to educate the public, share stories, give lessons learned, and discuss best practices. It will hopefully give Public Safety agencies, Emergency Management departments, first responders, and the public a place to grieve, learn, and share. Crisis Communication is already hard enough when responding to an event, but hopefully with See See individuals will be better prepared by learning about all types of events before they happen.
From Avalanches to Volcanic Eruptions, the best way to be prepared is to be educated.
See See allows everyone to share their experiences to help prevent the shock and unfamiliarity that is often the most dangerous aspect of an event.
