triumph in the face of disaster - the fl ood of 2013 flood Providing a BY MEGAN LACELLE
nothing 10 years ago, was now a link for those dealing with the Medicine Hat flood on Twitter.
I
With 46 hours to prepare for the flood waters, the power of the medium shined.
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www.mhc.ab.ca 56 2014 REPORT ON SOUTHEAST ALBERTA of information
n one week the City of Medicine Hat Facebook page grew from 3,741 'likes' to 8,844. The threat and eventual arrival of the flood in June 2013 left many in a state of chaos. #mhflood, which meant
"We called for volunteers on social media and we had so many responses that we had to tell people to stop showing up. I've never seen anything like that before," says Wilbur McLean, communications officer for the City of Medicine Hat.
The media, especially social media, helped get information to the world quicker and timelier than ever before. Creating a constant stream of information and communication that gave many a sense of reassurance that
1 someone was looking out for them.
Correct information needed to get out and social media stepped up. Facebook's regular business tone took on a more empathetic tone as victims flooded the site for information.
Alyssa Halket volunteered to be the voice behind the computer. The Nova Scotia native moved to Medicine Hat six years ago and works for the City as a graphic designer.
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"In this emergency it was all hands on deck," Halket says, "I volunteered to run the social media site, but it was a bit daunting because I'm very introverted."
Halket would arrive at her office at 6 a.m. and leave at midnight, spending the entirety of her day with Facebook and Twitter open in front of her. When she was exhausted co-worker Lori Bell
would step in. Questions would pour in and Halket would run to find the answer, literally.
"If there was ever a time I wasn't answering it was because I was physically running around trying to get answers."
She was often running to communications officers turned emergency public information officers Brandy Calvert and McLean. The group of four worked like a well-oiled machine. Calvert and McLean would collect information and give it to Halket who spread it to the public via social media.
"There were some nights I slept in the office," says McLean, "We do what we have to do to protect our city."
"It was an event beyond what we could have imagined," says Ron Robinson in regards to the flood. As the director of
41139003•03/25/14
Ladies it’s a
Players of all skill levels, Beginner to Intermediate
Ages 16 and Up
A 16
For more information on Women’s Rec Soccer Please call Sam Griffin (403)528-4211 or visit us at Facebook Medicine Hat Women’s Soccer League
4
41139403
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