LETTERS - Councilmember Allen urges use of Facebook and Twitter during emergencies.

Social Media urged for notifications during city emergencies.

Hi Bob,

Thanks for bringing this issue forward on your blog. One of the most precious commodities during any emergency is information and it has always been one of my top priorities to keep it coming. My husband and I rode through the Northridge California earthquake near the epicenter with a four year old so and 2 dogs so I have a few "lessons learned" that I have brought forward from that experience. Over the past several years, Redmond has expanded its options to keep in touch with the public during an emergency, including acquiring our own AM radio frequency, expanding use of our website and developing a network to get information out to local businesses where folks are likely to head during an emergency(like Victor's and QFC).

Your suggestion about the use of social networking, like Facebook and Twitter, is an excellent one-especially when the emergency does not involve a power outage. I'm going to urge that we should add that to Redmond's emergency notification "toolbox".

Kim Allen
Redmond Public Health Committee
Redmond City Councilmember
August 28, 2009 8:03 AM