Social media helps save lives during Harvey

Thousands of lives were saved this week in Southeast Texas. Some of those are thanks to social media. People used the internet to broadcast their need for help.

A picture of senior citizens in waist deep water at a nursing home is just one case where the horrors of Harvey were shared with the world via social media.

Former FEMA employee and now disaster consultant Mark Amann calls the online craze a powerful tool.

“Social media has the power to save lives,” Nusura Co-founder and CEO Mark Amann said. “People are on rooftops tweeting for help because the phone lines are down, the infrastructure has been demolished and 911 dispatch can’t keep up with the volume of calls”

Amann’s Denver based company wants to make sure agencies know how to navigate social media posts when lives are on the line.

Amann said, “We built simulation deck to simulate what happens online during a disaster.”

The software is private, shows social media sites, and even broadcast journalists.

“It’s like a fully functioning internet,” Amann said. “We use it to help our customers train and exercise in a way that lets them respond to a disaster.”

Source:-Fox