"During public health emergencies, people need to know what health risks they face, and what actions they can take to protect their health and lives. Accurate information provided early, often, and in languages and channels that people understand, trust and use, enables individuals to make choices and take actions to protect themselves, their families and communities from threatening health hazards." -- Publisher's description.

Although recent global disasters have clearly demonstrated the power of social media to communicate critical information in real-time, its true potential has yet to be unleashed. Social Media, Crisis Communication, and Emergency Management: Leveraging Web 2.0 Technologies teaches emergency management professionals how to use social media to improve emergency planning, preparedness, and response capabilities. It provides a set of guidelines and safe practices for using social media effectively across a range of emergency management applications. Explaining how emergency management agencies can take advantage of the extended reach these technologies offer, the book supplies cutting-edge methods for leveraging these technologies to manage information more efficiently, reduce information overload, inform the public, and ultimately save lives. Filled with real-world examples and case studies, it is an ideal self-study resource. Its easy-to-navigate structure and numerous exercises also make it suitable for courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. From crowdsourcing and digital volunteers to mapping and collective intelligence, Social Media, Crisis Communication, and Emergency Management: Leveraging Web 2.0 Technologies facilitates a clear understanding of the essential principles of social media. Each chapter includes an example of a local-level practitioner, organization, or agency using social media that demonstrates the transformative power of social media in the real world. The book also includes numerous exercises that supply readers with models for building their own social media sites and groups—making it a must-read for anyone who wants to learn more about the communication and information structures supported by social media. Visit the author’s homepage: http://sites.google.com/site/conniemwhite/Home

"Public Disaster Preparedness: In Theory and in Practice 1 2 Managing Risk, Emergencies, and Disasters 43 3 The Campaign - Step 1: Early Planning 73 4 Step 2: Develop a Campaign Strategy 125 5 Campaign Implementation and Evaluation 179 6 Program Support 199 7 Emergency Management Public Education Case Studies 235 Index 255.

Introduction to Emergency Management, Fifth Edition, offers a fully up-to-date analysis of US emergency management principles. In addition to expanding coverage of risk management in a time of climate change and terrorism, Haddow, Bullock, and Coppola discuss the impact of new emergency management technologies, social media, and an increasing focus on recovery. They examine the effects of the 2012 election results and discuss FEMA’s controversial National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Introduction to Emergency Management, Fifth Edition, gives instructors and students the best textbook content, instructor-support materials, and online resources to prepare future EM professionals for this demanding career. Introduction to FEMA's Whole Community disaster preparedness initiative Material on recent disaster events, including the Boston Marathon Bombing (2013), Hurricane Sandy (2012), the Joplin Tornado (2011), the Haiti Earthquake (2011), and the Great East Japan Earthquake (2010) New and updated material on the Department of Homeland Security and the ongoing efforts of the emergency management community to manage terrorism hazards Top-of-the-line ancillaries that can be uploaded to Blackboard and other course management systems.

This fully revised edition of Communicating Emergency Preparedness: Practical Strategies for the Public and Private Sectors includes timely case studies, events, and references to articles and opinions about the direction of emergency preparedness communication. The authors draw upon their professional endeavors to inject a new sense of practicality to the text. New images displaying emergency preparedness campaigns are used to further illustrate the materials being presented. For instructors and practitioners alike, this book continues to provide the how-to instruction that is often required, and will only improve upon the success of the first edition in doing so.

When communities face complex public health emergencies, state local, tribal, and territorial public health agencies must make difficult decisions regarding how to effectively respond. The public health emergency preparedness and response (PHEPR) system, with its multifaceted mission to prevent, protect against, quickly respond to, and recover from public health emergencies, is inherently complex and encompasses policies, organizations, and programs. Since the events of September 11, 2001, the United States has invested billions of dollars and immeasurable amounts of human capital to develop and enhance public health emergency preparedness and infrastructure to respond to a wide range of public health threats, including infectious diseases, natural disasters, and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear events. Despite the investments in research and the growing body of empirical literature on a range of preparedness and response capabilities and functions, there has been no national-level, comprehensive review and grading of evidence for public health emergency preparedness and response practices comparable to those utilized in medicine and other public health fields. Evidence-Based Practice for Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response reviews the state of the evidence on PHEPR practices and the improvements necessary to move the field forward and to strengthen the PHEPR system. This publication evaluates PHEPR evidence to understand the balance of benefits and harms of PHEPR practices, with a focus on four main areas of PHEPR: engagement with and training of community-based partners to improve the outcomes of at-risk populations after public health emergencies; activation of a public health emergency operations center; communication of public health alerts and guidance to technical audiences during a public health emergency; and implementation of quarantine to reduce the spread of contagious illness.

Whether you're hit by a natural disaster or power outage, you can expect this problem: your cell phones, landline phones and Internet eventually stop working. What will you do? How will you communicate with your family or friends? While you may have set aside food and water for an emergency, what about a pair of radios with batteries? Have you considered long-range options? Do you know what your best options are? This book will walk you through modern communications technologies, pros and cons of each, and recommendations to implement a realistic backup communications system. Options reviewed include: - AM/FM, NOAA, FRS/GMRS and Other Radios - eXRS and Other Unusual Gear - Satellite Phones and Personal Locator Beacons - Amateur Radio - the King of Emergency Communications Using the clear and simple recommendations in this book, you'll be able to reliably communicate with others in your region, without a cell phone, landline service, Internet, or need for grid power. When others can only wonder if their loved ones are safe, you will be able to talk with yours! "One area often overlooked in disaster preparedness is the need for communication. Whether it is to let distant loved ones know that all is well, signal for help from a stranded vehicle, or call for emergency medical assistance, the ability to reach out when conventional services have failed is crucial. This book fills an important gap and should be part of everyone's library." -Arthur Bradley, author of Handbook to Practical Disaster Preparedness for the Family For additional emergency communications information, plan templates and other free resources, visit www.EmergencyCommunicationsBlog.com. Andrew Baze is the author of the novel "The Road Home," speaker, and certified disaster recovery planner for a multi-billion-dollar business in the Pacific Northwest.