Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
Citation preview
Kirstie SmithCommunications DirectorJoplin Area Chamber of [email protected] | 417‐624‐4150 | 417.438.1738 (c)
• Communications Director at Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce• 17+ years of experience in marketing and communications• Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Ottawa
University, double major in Marketing and Theatre.• Responsible for all marketing decisions, media and public
relations, governmental affairs, webmistress duties, editing, writing and all creative design for area’s largest chamber of commerce, serving over 1,000 business members.
• Manage social media for chamber and several other affiliated organizations.
• Regularly offer social media sessions and seminars to chamber members and others teaching the importance of social media as a part of small business marketing plans.
Disaster CommunicationsHow do you communicate when 1/3 of your community looks like this?
Joplin, Missouri – Sunday, May 22, 2011 @5:41 pm
The multi‐vortex EF‐5 tornado that tore a 14 mile path through Joplin and the neighboring community of Duquesne moved as slow as 10 miles per hour, creating even more extensive damage due to slow movement of the storm. If we still used the old Fujita Scale instead of the Enhanced Fujita Scale to measure tornado strength, the Joplin Tornado would have been an F‐6 or F‐7 …
Estimates put the wind speed at 300+ mph when the storm hit St. John’s Mercy Regional Medical Center. What began at 5:41 p.m. was over by 6:12 p.m.
The Joplin Tornado destroyed nearly 1/3 of the city. 7,500 homes were obliterated leaving almost 18,000 homeless. Nearly 600 businesses were leveled. 5000 employees were potentially out of work.The beastly storm took from us 161 of our friends, families and coworkers…but by Monday morning, you knew that Joplin would survive.
Disaster Plan: That’s great in theory…
5‐Star Chamber, disaster plan was a model
for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Never took the book off the shelf…it was a
great plan, if OUR office had been destroyed
First disaster communications training class
began at 5:41 pm on May 22nd
Social Media: The only reliable outlet
Communications were down throughout the
majority of the city.
Text messages moved better than calls. Land
lines only worked intermittently.
We turned to the only way that we could
communicate with our
Members and the public.
KZRG – News Talk Radio 6:45 p.m.
Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce 6:52 p.m.
Joplin Tornado Info 7:36 p.m.
Joplin MO Tornado Recovery 8:01 p.m.
City of Joplin 11:26 p.m.
• The first post made by the Chamber was hoping for safety of all.
• At 8:14 pm, we posted critical information that was verified and continued posting into the night.
• Monday morning we had no electricity in our office and no access to our computer data.
• Network lines were down and remained down until Thursday!
Social Media: The only reliable outlet
E‐mail wasn’t the answer. But we did send out verified information on Monday morning before 10:30 a.m. to anyone who still had access to their email. I used my iPhone as a hot spot to power an internet connection for my iPad to send the email. Two others in our office used the same connection.
Reaching out to the local media was not the answer either, though we tried. The media wasn’t ready to share information in the early stages. They were involved with rescue efforts. Finding people, looking for people. Facebook was the best way to share information with our Members and the public at large.
We Couldn’t Access Our Data…Neither could anyone else.
Look Who’s Talking
April Facebook Statistics 955 “Likes” 8,824 post views 80 post feedback
May Facebook Statistics 1627 “Likes” 116,170 post views 819 post feedback
Thanks to COW’s (Cellular on Wheels)and local cell phone providers and repair services, Joplin stayed connected.
Important Lessons learned:
• Verify. Verify. Verify.• Assign task to staff person if possible or trusted volunteer• Use established page to share information• Set the tone early for your communications, confirms your
credibility
This was my apartment in 1993 where my husband and I lived as newlyweds.
My Husband’s childhood home
St. John’s Mercy Regional Medical Center
You could see from Maiden Lane all the way to Range Line Road after the tornado…Nearly 4 miles.
Thousands had a Moment of Silence at 5:41 p.m. on Sunday, May 29th, one week after the tornado.
Joplin High School
The Joplin Schools lost 10 of their 20 school buildings. The Catholic school system also lost their elementary school.
More than 90,000 volunteers have flooded our community to help. We would NOT be where we are today if it weren’t for the help from so many.
Joplin residents rolled up their sleeves and went to work.
Cut Loose was the first business to rebuild from the ground up and reopen on JULY 3rd!
Home DepotBefore
Home Depot…After
Home Depot temporary store opened May 31st. The permanent store opens this month.
Jim Bob’s Steak and Ribs, a Joplin original since 1971.
Jim Bob’s Steak and Ribs after. The Gambles WILL rebuild.
We had to dig fire trucks out of the debris to help people the night of the tornado. Two stations had to be
rebuilt.
Walgreens rebuilt one store from the ground up and had to do significant repairs on a second store. Both stores reopened on August 22nd, 3 months after the tornado. It was the fastest build in Walgreens corporate history. The damaged store served as a triage center the night of the tornado and continued to be a volunteer resource station throughout the construction.
Walmart rebuilt from the ground up and reopened in November.
A FEMA Temporary Mobile Housing Unit
More than 500 families are living in mobile temporary housing units provided by FEMA.
Cunningham Park before and on the 6 month anniversary. The ring below symbolizes the wristbands worn by the volunteers…The Miracle of the Human Spirit.
Mayor Mike WoolstonMay 24, 2011Anderson Cooper 360 Interview on CNN
“This is just not the type of community that is going to let a little F‐4 tornado kick our a**, so we will rebuild and we will recover.”
