Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter have brought together Queenslanders hunting for up-to-the-minute information on the devastating floods afflicting the sunshine state.As Queensland Police work around the clock to keep the public informed on the movement of flood waters, they have also turned to these popular sites to publish updates and combat myths and rumours, as citizens post photos, updates and words of encouragement to one another.
Although Queensland is issuing information through its State Disaster Management Service website, some web services have been disrupted with Brisbane City Council's flood flag map unable to cope with the high demand for updates on road closures and evacuations.
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As a consequence, Facebook and Twitter have become a crucial lifeline as Queensland Police publish regular bulletins about the flood waters, warnings of road closures, and evacuation procedures.
The official Queensland Police Service Facebook page is also serving as a noticeboard for those with local information.
On the page, desperate requests for new information on affected areas are being answered by those with firsthand knowledge, while others have offered lodgings to evacuees, and posted messages of support and advice on everything from which bridges are closed to safe locations for leaving evacuated pets.
“I have no money to give. I do have a dry house and a spare room (my 3 yr old will bunk in with us and you can have her queen bed),” wrote one on the QPS page.
The same official police updates are also being relayed via Twitter, which many private citizens and media outlets have retweeted, adding their own comments and photographs of the unfolding disaster under various hashtag categories including #qldfloods #thebigwet and #bnefloods.
Posts such as: "Been told to go home from Eagle St office," and "People going nuts swarming grocery stores to 'stock up,"' give outsiders a small glimpse into events as they unfold. Other posts caused unnecessary panic in the afternoon after relaying false information, leaving Queensland Police to undertake a mythbusting exercise.
Some of the false reports included a panicked message that Brisbane CBD was being evacuated and the public transport system closed down.
Other Twitter users also attempted to stem the panic.
“People saying 45 minutes until Brisbane CBD underwater! Please stop causing unnecessary panic,” wrote one.
"Incorrect tweets about Brisbane transport and airport closing have caused needless panic. Please be responsible", said another.
In spite of the confusion, most tweets that were posted sought to help rather than hinder with some even offering neighbours free access to their WiFi networks, according to technology website itnews.com.au.
Flooding has also affected some landline and mobile telephone services in parts of Queensland. “One of the biggest issues we're facing is the damage caused by flood water. In some cases we simply cannot gain access to sites to repair damage and will have to wait for flood waters to recede so we can safely access some parts of the network,” said Telstra on its website.
Source http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/flock-to-facebook-for-flood-updates-20110111-19mfr.html
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