Social Media: the First Responder (Katrina vs. Harvey)

Hurricane Katrina holds a special place in my heart. My dad's side of the family lived next to where the levees broke. Everything from my childhood summers in New Orleans was lost in a matter of hours. I went to see the house after the water had receded and the water line was well over my head. The children beds upstairs that my brothers and I would sleep in for a few weeks each summer, were dirty from the people who broke into the house to seek shelter from the storm. The beautiful piano I grew-up playing on laid in pieces scattered across the floor.

In some ways I'm jealous of the people going through Harvey only in the way you can be if your family has been through the same thing. I am jealous of the information that they have. They have real-time information about what is happening to their belongings and for the most part, their loved ones from afar. This is due to largely in part to Social Media. Social Media has played an enormous role in hurricane Harvey. People who are stranded have been able to use the last of their battery life to tell people where they are and that they need to be rescued. We have seen several instances of animal shelters calling for help over Facebook as water was actively rising and then receiving help an hour later.

Katrina was about 10 years ago and there was little to no communication. The only information we had about my family's land was when a canoe holding a news camera crew floated by the roofs of their houses. We were left in the dark for weeks. It wasn't until the water completely receded and the national guard allowed people back in, that we were able to go and see what the complete damage was.

It has been well established that Social Media has saved lives in Harvey, but it has also generated a large amount of support from people all over the United States. Donations have been pouring in, through the free marketing that facebook provides, "items needed" pages have been shared virally. Just last week UGA panhellenic sent food down and I'm sure other UGA organizations have too. It's heart warming for me to see how much the response to disasters such as Harvey has changed since Katrina. I think it is fair to say that social media is the modern world's new first responder.

Comments

  1. JennaSeptember 5, 2017 at 12:03 PM

    Sorry to hear of what you and your family went through with Katrina. Yes, I agree social media has been a blessing in this time of tragedy. We have helped so many and technology has made it so much easier. Though often people like to criticize what social media has done to society, they can not overlook the good it can do too. Thanks for your thoughts!

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  2. UnknownSeptember 5, 2017 at 12:06 PM

    Your post is very touching and understanding! I am so sorry your family had to go through Katrina, and you are absolutely right that the use of technology today has made it possible to be a first responder and a helper from across the country or even world. Donations, the locations of shelters, help offerings to those affected, everything that was not available during natural disasters years ago. It is amazing how the world who has its own set of horrific problems and numerous differences, can come together to help those in need through social media.

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