Editor’s Note: Andrew Cassel wrote this piece on social media crisis situations more than a month prior to the devastating fires that tore through Maui. If you are looking for ways to help the families impacted by those fires, please use the following links vetted by the University of Hawaii at Manoa:
- @HawaiiRedCross
- @MauiFoodBank
- @HawaiiCommunityFoundation
- @AlohaUnitedWay
- @SalArmyHI
- @MauiHumaneSociety
As drastic weather events and other crises become more frequent, higher ed social media teams should be included in campus preparedness exercises because they are often the first “voice” that students and parents may hear when searching for relevant information and direction.
A deviation from Volt’s traditional articles, this piece is the fictional minute-by-minute narrative of an unnamed social media administrator, who was fortunate enough to be included in crisis training, as she works through one such emergency.