The New Social Worker Vol. 19, No. 4, Fall 2012 | Page 32

Red Cross Digital Disaster Volunteers (DDVs)
Offer Support Through Social Media
by John Weaver, LCSW, Valerie Cole, and Gloria Huang

Tech Topics

I

n March 2012, partnering with
Dell, the Red Cross launched its
Digital Disaster Operations Center
in Washington, DC. The digiDOC uses
Radian6, a social media monitoring
service, to gather large amounts of public
social data (tweets, blogs, Facebook
posts) via keyword searches. This data is
filtered and sorted by event types (e.g.,
hurricane, earthquake, and wildfire),
topic categories, and needs (e.g., emotional support, emergency assistance,
shelter, safe and well). One of the goals
in launching this digiDOC was to start
using the information shared within these
online communities to help the organization better assess and address immediate community needs during times of
disaster.

the major challenges was selecting the best
key words and phrases to include in each
search. To give you an idea of the kinds of
messages used during the pilot, here are
some sample messages and replies:

Hugs

I just want to cry...hurricane isaac ruining
everything.

I am so sorry girl. Sending you a
digital #RedCross ((HUG))
The hurricane ain’t no joke down here i’m
scared as sh*t.

Take a deep breath. Sending you
some positive vibes and a #RedCross
((HUG))
Lucy came to work with me today because
she's afraid of #Isaac, but not when she’s
under my desk!

awww, so cute! I hope Lucy is doing
okay! Here’s a @RedCross ((hug)) for
her!

In August 2012, during Hurricane
Isaac, the American Red Cross piloted
the use of digital disaster volunteers
(DDVs) to help the Red Cross Social
Engagement team provide information
and support to online communities.
These virtual volunteers work from their
homes to monitor and respond to social
posts. Social media is perfect for engaging people in the Red Cross story and
connecting with communities.

During a disaster, posts coming in
from the Radian6 monitoring tool are reviewed by the DDVs, who are trained to
respond and provide Red Cross missionrelated services, such as virtual hugs,
preparedness and safety information, tips
for dealing with stress (positive coping
messages), and—in some cases—referrals
to other partners and resources. Red
Cross Disaster Mental Health (DMH)
is collaborating with the Social Engagement team to explore ways in which
mental health professionals can be more
involved in telling the Red Cross story
and supporting the community.

The pilot period involved testing the
software and the DDVs’ abilities to sort
through the high volume of data, triage the
needs, and quickly respond to the individuals and organizations who posted. One of

Preparedness and Safety

30

Fall 2012

The New Social Worker

Thankful to have weathered Hurricane Isaac.
No electricity but family and friends are safe
so fee