Social Media Saturday: Earthquake Talk

Social Media is important here at Patch. Every day, we use Twitter and Facebook to share stories and important facts about life in Arlington. 

But the most important part is interacting with the Arlington community, from news tips to comments to just about anything else.

Every week, Social Media Saturday brings some highlights of Patch’s social media life, a couple tips and suggested pages for you to follow. So be sure to come back every Saturday at 10 a.m. for more.

Overheard on Facebook

Readers Suzanne Pekow and Jessica Lynn sparked the conversation that led the story Earthquake Felt in Arlington Area:

Suzanne Pekow: “Did anyone just feel the earthquake??? I did and I’m on the 7th floor of a building in Arlington center. But the people standing in the parking lot across the street said they didn’t feel a thing.”

Jessica Lynn: ”Yes felt it here too!”

In response, several users replied with their experiences on this week’s earthquake that was felt through much of the east coast:

Doreen Breland: ”Sure did was on the third floor my chair, table and nearby lamp was shaking.”

Angela Moutsatsos: ”I did not feel it but I live on the first floor.”

Frances Meale: ”Yes, in Cambridge, on 4th floor.”

Carrie Epsimos McKinnon: ”Yes in east arlington.”

Jean Smith: ”I sure did at the cemetery – It was pretty bad!”

Likes and Followers

We’re up to 431 likes on Facebook. Liking us on Facebook can be a great way to stay up to date on Arlington news, as you’ll see our local news intermittently dispersed throughout your news feed.

On Twitter, we have 911 followers. Thank you all for re-tweeting and promoting @ArlingtonPatch.

Where to find Arlington Patch on social media

Interact with Arlington Patch at Facebook.com/ArlingtonPatch. For Twitter, you can find us at Twitter.com/ArlingtonPatch.

Be sure to drop by, send a hello or post a link—it’s always great to hear from you.

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Hurricane Irene: Using Technology to Prepare and Clean Up

Hurricanes are notorious for disabling technology by cutting off electricity. In some cases, the threat of coming storms can overwhelm our phone systems and websites. But technology is also being used in new ways to prepare for and clean up after natural disasters, like Hurricane Irene.

As Hurricane Irene made landfall in North Carolina on Saturday morning, millions of people up and down the East Coast braced for the worst. Despite reports that the storm had weakened, thousands of people were already evacuated and others who stayed on the coast lost power. Prior to the storm, Major League Baseball rescheduled games.  New Jersey even closed casinos for only the third time ever.

What to do?

Many websites offer quick tips and checklists to help before, during and after such weather emergencies. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) offers this checklist which helps you decide: Are You Ready?

Advanced technology is used by the National Hurricane Center, the National Weather Service and other organizations to understand hurricanes and their impacts.  

The Seattle Times offered some tips for communicating during Irene and other similar emergencies.  For example: “Cellphone companies recommend text messaging rather than calling in any disaster, because text messages use much less network capacity. They also don’t use much battery power. Using Facebook and Twitter can be tempting, but try to keep usage brief and use the apps rather than web browsers if possible, to minimize network use and battery drain.”

Fox News Business offered these: Apps and Websites to Help Brace for Irene. I especially like their list of people (actually organizations) to add to your Twitter feed, from FEMA to NOAA to the the Red Cross.

 USA.gov offers these tips for recovering after hurricanes.

 Information Week reported on FEMA’s new mobile web app that can help during emergencies. I find this section to be very interesting:

   “FEMA built the application to work even when there is no mobile service so people can access the information they need to anytime on their device….

People can text PREPARE to 43362 (4FEMA) to sign up for monthly disaster safety tips; SHELTER+ their ZIP code to the same number to find the nearest shelter in their respective areas; and DRC and their ZIP code to the same number for information about the nearest disaster recovery center.”  

Government Actions:

  Governments up and down the East Coast have issued warnings, and they are implementing their preparation, evacuation recovery plans. Offices of Public Safety are activating emergency centers and shelters, and information is being sent via a wide variety of channels, including new mobile web sources.

 For those who are not involved in the current Hurricane Irene emergency situation on the East Coast, teams are being sent from around the country to assist in the cleanup. Others are using this as an opportunity to stress hurricane readiness.

In summary, technology can help fight the negative impacts of hurricanes. Governments and citizens can learn the lessons from the past, and prepare for weather emergencies in new ways.

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