During a disaster, social media provides up-to-the-minute news information – power outage alerts, road closure updates, designated help areas, shelter locations, and more. Of all the social media platforms, the CSRA benefitted most via Facebook.
Like many businesses and residents, our Augusta Business Daily staff was also impacted by Helene’s 100+ mph wind gusts and 8’ to 12” of rain. Like many of you, most of us had no power, we were running on fumes in our cars and lost food in our refrigerators and freezers.
When we found limited gas and hotspots, we reported those. We followed Facebook posts from CSRA pages, including Connect Augusta, Aiken Info, All Things North Augusta, and many other sites, as did you. We reported information as soon as we received it, including where to buy gas and avoid long lines, which grocery stores were stocked, and whether they took cards or cash only, and where families and business employees might receive help. Our normal daily deadline is 3:00 pm but we extended that by several hours each day to publish information we felt pertinent to our readers.
CSRA page posts were constant but few, more so than the area utility companies like Georgia Power, Jefferson Energy, Aiken Cooperative, and Dominion. They provided updates multiple times daily on where their crews were working and when power might be restored. With power grids restored, it took some time before power outage maps were back online.
Were there negative comments? Of course. Helene was stressful. Kate Sanders compared it to Covid. “When people are stressed, they get angry.”
Sanders is a familiar face in the CSRA for her former work as an owner of Alison South Marketing Group and now as co-owner with Three Sixty Promo and GetUp Productions. She also has extensive experience with the American Red Cross in volunteer leadership positions.
Like many, her family lost power and experienced substantial damage. While living on the Gulf Coast, through Hurricane Ivan, the experience wasn’t new, except for a hurricane causing this much damage this far inland.
“Our family moved to a Westlake subdivision because of all the beautiful oak trees on the property. Now, all but two of them are gone. A neighbor’s tree destroyed my husband’s truck and trapped my car in the garage until we could get someone to remove it,” said Sanders.
She says it was nothing compared to what many experienced.
Sanders received a text message from Susan Everitt, CEO of the American Red Cross East Central Georgia Chapter on Tuesday, October 1. She needed help and turned to Sanders, Kate Gary, current Board Chair, community volunteer, Christy Beckham, and Nicole Spencer, with Augusta Tech, stating, “I need your creative brain power to set up a one-stop for Helene victims to receive supplies. The Red Cross is maxed out across the state. We need volunteers. The HUB is available.”
Sanders and her team went to work. They were able to pull together resources, but it was a much bigger effort than expected.
“We were trying to point families in the right direction, including United Way, Community Harvest, and Salvation Army, aside from what we could provide. In the meantime, I was reaching out to my Mom Groups on Facebook. They couldn’t get to us. So, we teamed up with the Fire Department and they ended up delivering diapers, baby formula, and other supplies. It was magical.”
Sanders said so much good came out of the experience because volunteers brought their kids to help which she says, “taught invaluable lessons.”
“One woman came off of a hospital night shift to pick up supplies. She ended up parking her car and helping because she said it was invigorating.”
Sanders believes the experience is a lesson for business social media strategy.
“Remember that social media is a way to talk to your customers. It builds your customer base and is an effective communication tool. I see a lot of social media trolls and businesses are afraid of them, but you have to focus on your ideal customers and not worry about the others who you don’t want to do business with.”
Editor’s Note:
Mitzi Oxford is a veteran broadcaster and features writer who also worked at the same television station in Columbus, Georgia as Augusta’s Brad Means! If you have a South Carolina story idea for Mitzi, please email her at mitzioxfordcreative@gmail.com.
