Elsie Lange
A reliance on social media for disaster messaging is something Lancefield resident Taylor Blackhall would like to see change.
During last week’s flooding, Mr Blackhall found it difficult to get important information to his grandparents and his sisters with disabilities because much of it was being communicated on social media.
“I’ve got two sisters with dyspraxia, a learning, speech and reading disability… It’s all those things that are related to getting communications during an event and why it’s important [to address],” Mr Blackhall said.
He would like to see a subscription service adopted by Macedon Ranges council and emergency services which would send out automated messages of key issues, such as road closures, sandbag collection points and refuge centres.
“For the layperson, [social media is] fine, we can see the photos,” he said.
“A picture is worth a thousand words, but for someone with special needs or someone who is on the go, it doesn’t really help in a crisis.
“Point them in the right direction or tell them where to go when there is an emergency.”
Mr Blackhall raised the issue at a Macedon Ranges council floods community information meeting in Kyneton on October 18.
Council communications manager Lauren Wall said with fast-moving events like the flooding, council did its “absolute best” to get out information as rapidly as possible.
“Social media is a quick and easy way to get communications out, but we know not everyone is on that and do look at other ways we can get those messages out… we have a lot of good relationships with the local media here,” she said.
She said there were also options to subscribe to email services which covered some topics, but disaster communications were “a work in progress”.
“These things that happen really quickly we’ll just try and do as much as possible,” she said.
Mr Blackhall said during the floods his grandparents had been landlocked and it was difficult to get information to them as they “don’t check Facebook every hour”.
“If my mum has that access [to texts] then she… can either forward it to my sister or my sister’s husband, or to my other siblings, and then it’s easily sent through,” he said.
For collated information about road closures and other flood information, head to: www.mrsc.vic.gov.au/About-Council/News/News/Severe-weather-event-information
