Government responds quickly to New Zealand quake; social media help spread info

By eGovInnovation Editors | Feb 25, 2011

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The New Zealand Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management (MCDEM) has responded quickly to the magnitude 6.3 earthquake that hit the country 10 kilometers south-east of Christchurch Tuesday (Feb. 22) afternoon, using the various government websites and social media to spread information and to help citizens stay safe and locate welfare centers.

Seven hours after the quake, MCDEM announced in the website that the National Crisis Management Centre has been activated and police have reported 65 deaths. It has also posted nine updates on its Twitter page, which has over 5,000 followers, regarding the emergency situation.

To minimize loading on the telecommunications network, people were advised to "use txt messaging to check if friends and family are safe," an appeal shared by Vodafone and Telecom.

Prior to the most recent quake, the last update to the NZCivilDefence Twitter page was last October 5, saying "There are no declared civil defence emergencies in New Zealand."

This was a full month after the last big quake on September 4 to hit New Zealand - the magnitude 7.1 earthquake at the Canterbury region, 40 kilometers west of Christchurch City.

A government website managed by Environment Canterbury was set up to provide information and resurces relating to the quake. The same website has been reactivated in response to yesterday's quake.

In an interview over government-owned Television New Zealand (TVNZ), Prime Minister John Key said the world may be witnessing New Zealand's darkest day, with 65 people reported dead and most likely the figure may rise.

"We are doing everything we possibly can we are dispatching as many people as we can. We have 180 police working on the ground, 200 extra police coming on," he said, adding that since the same tragedy had happened six months ago the government has a strong sense of what needs to be done.

In the past two days, various government websites have been included in the loop for continuous provision of information ranging from aftershocks advisories to public health messages to finding help for missing pets to  donation and welfare centers.