Effectiveness of Social Media to Disaster Preparedness

of Lipa, Batangas

by
Group 5
BSED 3C Social Studies

Calingasan, Trisha Mae

Dayan, Arvin Jay
De Castro, Ralph Janssen
Del Rio, Sebastiana
Elaida, Ricky
Mercado, Jessica
Neria, Lovely

January 2021
 INTRODUCTION

Social media plays an important role in the risk reduction during calamities. It can be
used passively and systematically to address the emergency. It is passively use in the widely
dissemination of information as well as in receiving concerns which needs an immediate action.
On the other hand, social media in its systematic use is vital in providing communication,
disseminating warnings, receiving feedbacks, and posting awareness and images to allow the
people to know the state of the province. Thus, the use of social media may possibly offer the
reduction in the casualties [ CITATION Jes \l 13321 ]

An integral part of our lives are disasters which can be man-made or natural. Man-made
disasters exist due to human activities which can be done through negligence, failure, and/or
personal purposes. These disasters include chemical threat, cyber-attacks, terrorism, war, and etc.
On the other hand, natural disasters are events which happened through the natural processes.
These include floods, earthquake, eruptions, typhoons, and others. Thus, emergency response
techniques are now being built to minimize the effects of these unfortunate events wherein social
media had been in consideration in the reduction of casualties. Therefore, natural disasters lead
to loss in terms of economy, environmental or human. These events are beyond the control of the
humankind, therefore its occurrence are unpredictable which causes casualties and worst
mortality. The resulting loss relies on the vulnerability of the affected population, often called
their resilience, to withstand the threat. It would be a great danger to the world if these natural
disasters continues.

In the present time, Batangas had experienced storms which led to a flood of not
exceeding on the marrowbones level of human and volcanic eruption that led the province be
declared on the state of calamity. Thus, the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office or
CDRRMO had prepared a disaster preparedness and response plan in order to immediately
respond to the vulnerabilities of the said calamities. Each department was given specific tasks
and responsibilities to ensure the quick response to the emergencies. Whereas, one of the tools
that they had used was the social media. As defined by the dictionary,

“Social media is a computer-based technology that facilitates the sharing of ideas,

thoughts, and information through the building of virtual networks and communities.”
 Wherein, warnings and information were posted via social media platforms to spread
awareness. Consequently, an increase in communication due to natural disasters as people
attempt to contact family and friends in the disaster zone and seek food, shelter, transportation
and information. By empowering people to share information and ask for support, social media
plays a major role in these regards. The vast scope of social networks makes it possible for
people who are recovering from disasters to interact easily with the resources needed. On the
most common social networking sites, there are several groups that allow individuals interested
in different aspects of emergency awareness and preparedness to interact, discuss, and share
information in specific fields.

Thus, this study was created in order to identify the roles of social media in disaster
preparedness, to determine the protocols done by the CDRRMO in spreading awareness, and to
identify the effectiveness of the social media platform in the disaster preparedness of Lipa,
Batangas.

The researchers used descriptive type of research in identifying the effectiveness of social
media in disaster preparedness of Lipa, Batangas wherein the researchers conducted a survey
through the use of Google form to gather relevant information. Respondents are limited to the
members of City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office of Lipa, Batangas where it
covered twenty-five members of the team. The respondents was asked to accomplish a set of
questionnaires which also include the possibility of low-level responses, respondents who may
answer more or less positively due to the knowledge that the data are being used in the study,
discrepancy due to answering relative to other answers, a less than optimal return rate, and a lack
of any qualitative information as to what the respondents feel as they do. First, the length of the
surveys could lead respondents to quickly and thoughtlessly answer questions to complete the
survey. Second, respondents may answer more positively due to the belief that the protocols
done were effective.