Using Social Media as an Outlet for Storm

Emergency Notification

(“Two of the Longest and Biggest Lightning Strikes on Earth Have Been Recorded”)

A Facebook Avenues for Growth Programme Report

Brandon Edmunds
Contents

Executive Summary 2

The Dangers of Storms 2

Social Media to Communicate Storm Emergencies 3

Social Media to Prevent Storm Injury 4

Quick, Widespread, and Effective Communication 4

Notification Reception 5

Limited Audiences 5

Conclusion 6

References 8

Figures

Figure 1 3

Figure 2 4

Figure 3 6

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Executive Summary
There are millions of storms worldwide every year (“Thunderstorm Basics”), ranging from
thunderstorms to hurricanes. Some storms have the ability to cause tremendous damage if not
properly prepared for. In 2020, 47 people died of hurricanes alone (“Facts + Statistics:
Hurricanes”) and in the United States, an average of 400 people die in blizzards every year
(“People Who Died Directly”). Many solutions to preventing the damage caused by storms have
emerged, but one of the most effective is notifying those who are potentially at risk about
impending storms. Using Facebook as the notification system, people all over the world will be
able to promptly become aware of potential storm related hazards. Being able to notify people of
potential dangers and actions that need to be taken will greatly decrease the number of storm
related damages and injuries each year.

The Dangers of Storms

Storms cause widespread damage every year throughout the entire world. Figure 1 shows the
number of deaths caused by storms in 2017 along with the average number of deaths in the 30
years before 2017 and the 10 years before 2017. On average, Figure 1 indicates that the most
lethal weather related danger is heat, with flooding being the next most dangerous, and tornadoes
following soon after. Alongside causing deaths, storms cause large amounts of property damage.
From 2010 to 2020, on average, tornadoes caused $2.5 million worth of property damage per
storm (“Tornadoes Caused $2.5 Million in Damage”). Similarly, hurricanes cause $54 billion
worth of damage in the United States alone per year (“USA: Expected Costs of Damage”). The
ability for storms to cause damage on such a large scale shows the importance of making sure
storms are handled with as much care and caution as possible.

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 Figure 1 - Weather Related Deaths (“Which Kills More People: Extreme Heat or Extreme Cold?”)

The large damages caused by storms emphasize the importance of making sure that those who
may be affected by the storm are properly prepared. According to Andrew Freedman,
meteorologists warned Texas about a week in advance of the severe winter storm that happened
in February of 2021 (“Meteorologist for Texas Grid”). Regardless of the warning, 210 people
died during the storm (“Texas Winter Storm Death”). A hurricane Sandy victim says, “we knew
the storm was approaching quickly” and, “but we had a lot to learn about being ready for a
situation like this” (“Stories from Hurricane Survivors”). Even when people are notified about
incoming storms and their potential severity, significant damage still occurs, demonstrating the
need to introduce a better way of getting people prepared for incoming storms.

Social Media to Communicate Storm Emergencies

Having different ways to notify people of the dangers of incoming storms will allow people to
better prepare for storms. Using Facebook, storm safety agencies can broadcast storm warnings,
guidelines, and advice to all of Facebook’s users. Facebook has the ability to send messages to
all of its users in a variety of formats and can make sure users receive the messages using
notification icons and popups. Given the ability to broadcast to all of Facebook’s users, storm
safety agencies can use a tailored account to quickly create and send the messages when needed.

Sending the messages can happen through the notification feature on Facebook. As with other
Facebook notifications, a notification popup will appear on the device with Facebook. The popup

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 will display an appropriate message to inform the user of an impending storm. The message can
contain information about the location of the storm and expected time of arrival. The message
can also link to a Facebook page describing more of the details of the storm and information on
how to prepare. The message can incorporate an image icon to engage and make the user more
interested or concerned with the storm, and the Facebook page can be designed in the way that a
storm safety agency sees fit such that the user is able to act in a timely manner with the
appropriate amount of information.

Social Media to Prevent Storm Injury

Quick, Widespread, and Effective Communication

Facebook allows its users to post information on their own pages, but Facebook also has a
notification feature that can be used by certain organizations, such as Facebook. Using
Facebook’s notification feature, Facebook could allow storm safety agencies to send storm
warnings and information to all of Facebook’s users. Facebook would allow a storm safety
agency to be able to prepare the formatting and wording of messages well before the agency
intends to send the message, allowing for storm notifications to be sent almost immediately after
a storm has been detected. For example, the notification message could say, “Warning: Large
Storm Approaching”, and could link to a webpage depicting the likely path of travel for the
storm along with recommended safety measures. Being able to format messages early also
allows for storm agencies to make sure that the information in the message is communicated in
such a way that the receivers of the message understand the severity of the storm and necessary
steps to prevent injury. Facebook would then use its notifications feature to notify and display
the message to all Facebook users immediately after the message has been sent.

Figure 2 - Social Media Usage (“Surprising Social Media Statistics - the

2021 Edition”)

Figure 2 shows the large number of people who have a social media profile. Facebook has 2.89
million active users as of the second quarter of 2021 according to “Statista”, making it the largest
social media platform (“Facebook Mau Worldwide 2021”). Figure 2 also shows the increase in
social media usage with time, indicating that social media will be used more as time progresses,

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making emergency communication through social media a method that will gain even more
effectiveness with time. The vast number of users on Facebook emphasizes the ability to be able
to notify large numbers of people instantly. Furthermore, Facebook gathers information about
people, including their current locations and residences. The information Facebook has on people
can be used to specify the groups of people that receive the storm warnings, making sure that
only the relevant individuals receive the messages, saving resources.

Notification Reception

Facebook is able to quickly notify the desired users of potentially urgent information. Users tend
to opt in to receiving notifications, as 60% of the time, a user will receive a push notification,
making notifications an effective way to communicate to users that there is something that they
need to be aware of (“Push Notifications Statistics”). While the message sent through Facebook
to the relevant users may not always be read by the users, approximately 3 times the users will
receive and click or open the message when compared to other notification methods such as
email (“Mobile Marketing Trends for 2021”). Users also react to notifications fairly quickly, as
40% of users will engage with the notification within 1 hour of receiving it (“Mobile Marketing
Trends for 2021”), making notifications a fast way to have users receive and interpret
information.

Limited Audiences

While using social media as a means to disseminate urgent information has many advantages,
there are some disadvantages, with the most notable being the limited audience. While Facebook
boasts a large number of users, not all individuals at potential risk of harm from a storm will
have a Facebook account. Social media as a way to communicate urgent storm information
should be used alongside other methods of communication to ensure the largest population of
individuals receives the appropriate information. Similarly, while Facebook does have a large
amount of diversity among Facebook’s users, some groups have more Facebook accounts than
others, as shown in Figure 3.

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 Figure 3 - Facebook User Diversity (“20 Facebook Stats to Guide Your 2021 Facebook Strategy”)

Figure 3 demonstrates that individuals of many age groups and both sexes use Facebook, though
the majority of Facebook’s users are males aged between 25 and 35. Figure 3 demonstrates the
importance of using other methods alongside social media to communicate information about
storm urgencies to ensure all who may be affected receive the necessary information. On the
other hand, not being able to notify all who may be at risk does not take away from the
advantages previously mentioned.

Conclusion
Social media allows for information to be quickly received by a large number of specific
individuals. Using Facebook as a medium allows Facebook’s vast user database to be used to
send important information to the relevant individuals using message formatting that can
consistently make sure to engage users and provide the necessary information. Adding Facebook

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to one of many ways to communicate important storm information to users allows more people
to be reached and allows the significance of an event to be emphasized using Facebook’s
customizable broadcasting abilities. Improving the communication between storm safety
agencies and people at risk is an essential part of storm safety that Facebook is confident it can
help with.

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References
“20 Facebook Stats to Guide Your 2021 Facebook Strategy.” Sprout Social, 17 June 2021,

https://sproutsocial.com/insights/facebook-stats-for-marketers/.

Andrew Weber, KUT. “Texas Winter Storm Death Toll Goes up to 210, Including 43 Deaths in

Harris County.” Houston Public Media, 14 July 2021,

https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/energy-

environment/2021/07/14/403191/texas-winter-storm-death-toll-goes-up-to-210-

including-43-deaths-in-harris-county/.

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/.

“Facts + Statistics: Hurricanes.” III, https://www.iii.org/fact-statistic/facts-statistics-hurricanes.

Freedman, Andrew. “Meteorologist for Texas Grid Operator Warned of the Winter Storm's

Severity.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 19 Feb. 2021,

https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2021/02/19/texas-cold-early-warning/.

Head, Arpit Business Development. “What Are Push Notifications and Why Does Your App

Need It?” MobileAppAaily, MobileAppDaily, 27 June 2019,

https://www.mobileappdaily.com/what-is-push-notification.

Hurst, Andrew. “Tornadoes Caused $2.5 Million in Damage per Storm across U.S. in Past

Decade.” ValuePenguin, ValuePenguin, 28 July 2021,

https://www.valuepenguin.com/damage-caused-by-tornadoes.

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“Mobile Marketing Trends for 2021.” Connext Digital, 24 Feb. 2021,

https://connextdigital.com/mobile-marketing-trends-for-2021/.

Pascoal, Hugo. “Infographic: Push Notification Statistics That Will Surprise You.” E, 29 Mar.

2019, https://blog.e-goi.com/infographic-push-notification/.

“People Who Died Directly or Indirectly from a Blizzard or Snowstorm Genealogy Project.”

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%2C%20about,5%20years%20caused%20by%20blizzards.

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active-facebook-users-worldwide/.

“Push Notifications Statistics.” Business of Apps, 31 Aug. 2021,

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“Thunderstorm Basics.” NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory,

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%20there%20are%20an%20estimated,of%20these%20reach%20severe%20levels.

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“Two of the Longest and Biggest Lightning Strikes on Earth Have Been Recorded.” The

Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 22 Sept. 2016,

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/lightning-strikes-world-record-longest-

biggest-recorded-a7323251.html.

US Department of Commerce, NOAA. “Stories from Hurricane Survivors.” National Weather

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https://www.weather.gov/safety/hurricane-survivors.

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hurricane-winds-and-storm-related-flooding.

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