Communication to Handle Hazards: Social Media Strategies Report

This report investigates the crucial role of social media in communicating information and strategies for managing environmental hazards, specifically focusing on bushfires and coal mine fires. It begins with an executive summary outlining the report's objectives, which include understanding the effectiveness of social media in raising awareness and providing guidance during crises. The report then presents two key case studies: the devastating bushfires in Victoria and the Hazelwood coal mine fire, analyzing the communication failures and lessons learned from each incident. Following the case studies, the report proposes practical steps for utilizing social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter to disseminate critical information, educate the public on risk management, and facilitate effective responses to emergencies. The report emphasizes the importance of proactive communication, community engagement, and the development of clear, accessible strategies to minimize the impacts of local fires and other environmental hazards, ultimately contributing to the safety and well-being of affected communities. This report is contributed by a student and is available on Desklib.

Running head: COMMUNICATION TO HANDLE HAZARDS
COMMUNICATION TO HANDLE HAZARDS
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author note

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Executive summary
The report is aimed at understanding the different aspects of utilizing the social media
communication in order to make the people of the bush fire prone region and the like aware of
the situations they might face and tactics through which they can overcome the crisis. It helps in
the proper understanding of the different aspects of the communication ability through the
understanding of the applicability of the same. The project makes use of two case studies and
thereby aims at understanding the flaws that have resulted to the crisis.

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Table of Contents
1. Introduction..................................................................................................................................3
1.1 Purpose..................................................................................................................................3
2. The lessons from the cases of Hazelwood and Victoria..............................................................4
2.1 Case of bushfire in Victoria...................................................................................................4
2.1.1 Lessons learnt from the scenario....................................................................................4
2.2 Case of Coal mine fire in Hazelwood....................................................................................5
2.2.1 Lessons learnt from the scenario....................................................................................6
3. Steps to reduce the impacts and threats of local fire...................................................................6
3.1 Creating a page in the social media platforms.......................................................................7
3.1.1 Usage of Facebook.........................................................................................................7
3.1.2 Usage of Instagram.........................................................................................................7
3.1.3 Usage of Youtube community........................................................................................8
3.1.4 Usage of Twitter.............................................................................................................9
4. Conclusion.................................................................................................................................10
References......................................................................................................................................11

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1. Introduction
Communication through social media helps in making the people aware of the different
situations and the change in the environment where they dwell. It helps in making the people
aware of the different methods that could be undertaken by them while facing an emergency
situation. Social media plays a meditative role in making the mass aware of the various hazards
and the manner in which they might react to the emergency. It helps in determining the safety
and the security of the people living in the communities. Utilization of the social media platforms
like the Facebook, Twitter, Instagram has helped in making the people aware of the steps that are
required to be taken for proper management of the hazards. The assessment of the type of hazard
and evaluation of the effects helps in determining the various aspects of the steps that can be
taken in order to avoid the risks of being stuck in a natural hazard. The proper management of
the hazard and tactfully attending the same helps in avoiding the circumstances of the hazard that
might affect the health and the wellbeing of the people living in the communities.
1.1 Purpose
The purpose of this report is to determine the value of communication in making the
people aware of the required steps, which might help in the proper management at the time of the
hazard. It is being administered through the careful study of the case of bushfire that occurred at
Victoria on 7th February 2009 and Morwell Coal Mine Fire case at Hazelwood (Blaikie et al.
2014). The study of the cases will be helping in understanding the value of communication
through social media platforms and the strategies that might be taken by the local government
and the businesses for making the people aware of the hazards.

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2. The lessons from the cases of Hazelwood and Victoria
2.1 Case of bushfire in Victoria
Victoria has experienced bushfires since 1851 due to the wind directions and the
particular climate and weather conditions that has affected the livelihood of the people
(Linnenluecke & Griffiths, 2013). Since the year 1851, the region has experienced some 52
major fire events that have caused the lives of several inhabitants of the area (Power, Robinson
& Ratcliffe, 2013). On February 7, 2009, the region experienced one of its deadliest outbreaks
resulting to the death of some 173 Victorians (Youtube.com. 2018). The major issue that affected
the life of the people was their ignorance to the steps for facing the hazards. The emergency
situation required certain risk assessment and management steps and procedures, which was not
communicated to the people leading to the devastation and the loss of life (Linnenluecke &
Griffiths, 2013). The fire has affected the Grippsland area as well, which has affected the
livelihood of the commoners living in the area. The trauma of the outbreaks has affected the
smooth functioning of their lives and the normal livelihood (Linnenluecke & Griffiths, 2013).
2.1.1 Lessons learnt from the scenario
A lesson can be learnt from the devastating incident, which is to make the people and the
inhabitants aware of the steps that can be taken by them while facing a crisis (Youtube.com.
2018). It is aimed at helping them in saving the lives and the property of the same through the
proper identification of the different strategy that helps in minimizing the chances of crisis
(Youtube.com., 2018). Lessons are learnt of the crisis based on the lack of proper
communication that was not undertaken by the authorities. It affected the lives of the people. On
the other hand, the lack of the social media integration has affected the communication channels,

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which might have made the people aware of the possible steps that they could take in order to
face the crisis (Youtube.com. 2018).
Figure 1: Effects of Wind movements on the Fire fronts
(Source: Hazelwoodinquiry.vic.gov.au., 2018)
2.2 Case of Coal mine fire in Hazelwood
A bushfire incident occurred at the Hazelwood coalmine, which is situated in the Latrobe
Valley 150 kilometers east of Melbourne in the year 2014. It burned for some 45 days and the
toxic smoke from the bushfire travelled to the adjoining town Morwell
(Hazelwoodinquiry.vic.gov.au. 2018). The burning of the brown coal emitted carbon monoxide,
methane, sulphur, nitrogen oxides and potentially toxic trace elements such as arsenic and
mercury, which affects the respiratory tracts of human beings. Therefore, the incident affected
the residents of Morwell where reports were confirmed of the carbon monoxide poisoning and

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other effects such as damage of their homes and rainwater tanks through the falling ash and the
smoke (Hazelwoodinquiry.vic.gov.au. 2018).
2.2.1 Lessons learnt from the scenario
The scenario has helped in the understanding of the different flaws that affected the crisis
and influenced its growth. There are steps that could be taken in order to minimize the impacts of
the emergency situation on the health and the wellbeing of the people living at the adjacent town.
The authorities and the organization could have made use of the crisis communication
procedures for making the people aware of the impacts of the emergency
(Hazelwoodinquiry.vic.gov.au. 2018). On the other hand, the initiative of the health and the
environment authorities could have helped in the proper understanding of the issues in order to
communicate through the means of the social media platforms.
3. Steps to reduce the impacts and threats of local fire
The steps that might be taken by the local authorities and the environmental control board
in order to make the people awre through the proper usage of the social media platforms are
being discussed in this section of the report. It is aimed at facilitating the understanding of the
various aspects of the change in the systems for communicating the strategies for managing the
risks at the time of the natural hazards and the crisis (Olteanu, Vieweg & Castillo, 2015). The
proper understanding of the scenario helps in determining the need of the governance bodies in
spreading the message of control and the tutorials through their posts in the social media
platforms like the Facebook, Instagram and the like (Dufty, 2012). It will help in educating the
masses of the required mentality and the strategy that is required to be undertaken in order to
face the crisis.

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3.1 Creating a page in the social media platforms
3.1.1 Usage of Facebook
The usage of Facebook as a medium for making the people aware of the steps for
managing the hazard helps in the time of the crisis. The enumeration of the steps that are
required to be taken for the proper evacuation procedure and to face the crisis helps in saving the
lives of then people (Dufty, 2012). Therefore, the government must formulate and create hazard
management committees who will dedicate themselves to make the people aware of the reaction
and the strategy that is required for facing the atrocities of the crisis. In order to do so, the
committee members must post the procedure and keep updating the posts in their walls to make
the people aware of the procedures that are required to be taken at the time of the bushfire or the
like. On the other hand, Olteanu, Vieweg and Castillo (2015) stated that the committee board
must also take steps to make the people aware of the climate change and the possible outbreaks
of the hazard in order to keep the commoners aware of the upcoming hazard so that they can
prepare to face the same (Williams, 2013). Devising a flowchart of the activities that are
required to be undertaken while facing a crisis will be helping the committee members in making
the people aware of the chain and the flow of the practices that are required to be taken by them
in order to prevent the outbreak (Abbasi et al. 2013). The proper utilization and the application of
the steps through the social media platform will be helping the committee in making the most
favorable steps for making the common people aware of the strategies that are required to be
taken (Chhetri et al. 2012).
3.1.2 Usage of Instagram
The utilization of Instagram will also be helping the committee that is being formed by
the government in making the people aware of the necessary steps that will help in preventing

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and controlling the bushfire and the like (Haworth, 2016). The major aspects of the change that
is being undertaken by the local authorities and the Environmental Information officers helps in
determining the effectiveness of the communication procedures that are undertaken by the same.
The authorities could have used the social media platforms to make the people aware of the
situation that might occur and the preventive measures that would help in saving them of the
atrocities of the impact (Eriksen, 2014). The committee can post pictures of the bushfire prone
zones of the region in order to keep the tourists and the local inhabitants aware. On the other
hand, they can even share their views on controlling and preventing the bushfires and the like in
their page. It will help the same in making the people aware of the situations of the region
(Power et al. 2014). Using Instagram as a social media channel helps in determining the
effectiveness of the communication that might be undertaken by the authorities and the
committee members.
3.1.3 Usage of Youtube community
The usage of Youtube as a tool of undertaking effective communication with the
commoners and creating awareness among them will be helping the environmental specialists in
undertaking ways for educating the same (Crowe, 2012). Youtube serves as an efficient tool
where the authorities post videos, which state and make the people aware of the activities that
can be undertaken to control and prevent bushfire and the like visually. It helps in making the
approach of making the people aware more promotable (Smith, 2013). Making videos based on
the required activities and streaming them on the net will be helping the authorities in making the
people aware of the scenario and the manner in which they must react to the crisis (Crowe,
2012). On the other hand, it helps in keeping the viewers aware of the practical methods of
evacuation and control over the natural calamity or hazard, which will helps in saving their lives

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and property (Dufty, 2012). The usage of the media helps in determining the change in the
systems and the functioning that was not taken earlier which resulted to the deaths of the people
living in the bushfire prone zone (Paton & Johnston, 2017). Proper communication through the
social media channels helps in making the people aware of the varied risks in residing in that
particular zone (O’Neill & Handmer, 2012). The proper documentation of the change in the
communication methodology has helped in improving and facilitating the awareness among the
people.
3.1.4 Usage of Twitter
The utilization of Twitter as a social media platform for reaching out to the people helps
the committee in making the people of the regions aware of the different change in the climate
and the hazards that might create havoc issues in the smooth livelihood of the people (Imran et
al. 2015). The usage of this social media platform through the posts that are shared by the
authorities of the region helps in making the people aware of the latest updates and the changes
in the nature that might affect the atmosphere of the region (Dufty, 2012). The information that
is shared by the authorities are mainly based on the possible strategies that might be undertaken
by the people in order to face the hazardous situations. Making the people aware of the hazard
helps in saving the property and the livelihood of the people (Hughes & Palen, 2012).
Therefore, critical communication is being facilitated through twitter, which helps in
determining the awareness of the people in the region. The proper utilization of twitter will be
helping in determining the changes in the systems and the functioning of the communication that
is being taken by the authorities (McCaffrey, 2015).

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4. Conclusion
Therefore, from the above analysis it can be stated that the proper understanding of the
steps and the strategies helps in determining the lives and the properties while facing a crisis
situation. Critical communication helps in making the people aware of the mentality and the
approach that must be undertaken by them in order to survive the crisis. The case studies that are
being enumerated as a part of the report helps in determining the effects of the lack of
communication that affects the livelihood and the property of the people. On the other hand, the
determination of the strategies and the communicative measures helps in determining the
probable steps for overcoming the crisis. The proper identification of the different factors helps
in determining the various attributes of the change in the communication system that will be
helping the inhabitants of the region to gain primary data of the whereabouts of the region.

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References
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