How Social Networks Save Lives During Disasters
I read a fascinating article that discussed how social networks can help reduce fatalities during major disasters. Simply put, community togetherness that spawns trust and comradery generally increases community members’ desire to help others, which improves the effectiveness of disaster survival.
Understanding the Benefits of Social Networks
The authors of the article analyzed community response to the tsunami and Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant disaster that devastated Japan in 2011. The authors studied over 130 impacted communities, some of which experienced hundreds of deaths, and some of which saw hardly any loss of life. They concluded that communities – or social networks – that enjoyed higher levels of trust and comradery had fewer deaths.
Assuming this is valid, it begs the question of why? Well, according to the authors, tight-knit communities were simply more effective and efficient in helping their community members survive. For example, residents in tight communities knocked on neighborhood doors to bring people to safety, and carried elderly and disabled people to shelter.
This is helpful to know from an emergency preparedness perspective, as municipal or utility liaisons can work with local communities on programs or events to boost this type of community collaboration in ways that enhance understanding of emergency response. Events could include things like charity softball games, block parties and similar festivals, and town halls or workshops. Events could serve the dual purpose of educating the community and allowing everyone to get to know each other.
The bottom line is that a trusting, interactive community culture seems to promote more effective and efficient emergency reaction and response from community members, and this should be leveraged by utility companies in ways that can enhance overall outage restoration safety and reduce response distractions from unprepared residents. There is little doubt that social networks play a role in resilience.
