Untapped Potential: Evaluating State Emergency Management Agency Web Sites 2008
Source: University of Kansas Transportation Research Institute (Associate Dean/Associate Professor David W. Guth, APR)

Despite post-Hurricane Katrina calls for improved communication, a University of Kansas study has concluded that state emergency management agencies (EMAs) across the United States have been slow to adopt Internet-based resources to reach out to the public during emergencies.

According to Untapped Potential: Evaluating State Emergency Management Web Sites 2008, state EMA Web sites appear to place a greater emphasis on reaching first responders than they do the citizens of their state or the news reporters who reach them. The study urges state emergency planners to recognize that Internet and emerging social media are important public outreach tools. Funded by the University of Kansas Transportation Research Institute, the study analyzed 51 state EMA Web sites (including the District of Columbia) and the results of an online survey of state EMA public information officers. The 48-page report outlined 13 findings of the research and made six recommendations to the nation’s emergency managers.

+ Full Report (PDF; 3.7 MB)

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 13th, 2008 at 9:42 am and is filed under Government and politics, Internet, Safety. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.