Quick action on Emergency Services web site helps people manage disaster

In late June 2007 coastal areas of NSW, especially the Central Coast and Hunter Valley, were hit by wild storms and flooding.

The State Emergency Services needed a special response area for their web site - fast. They needed a mechanism for people to submit their photos with accompanying text while the emergency was happening.
Social Change Online got the call at 8:30am on the Friday; by the weekend the site had an emergency facility ready for members of the public to make their submissions. The facility has now been made a permanent feature of the site and photos are still coming in.
During the height of the emergency the number of visitors to the website increased 10-fold; the website handled the pressure without even a minor glitch.
The site proved to be a major success as an almost instant communication channel and disseminator of information.
Within 5 minutes of SES staff uploading a news item, ABC reporters were getting the update via the web site's RSS feed.
The site helped meet a huge demand for information as the emergency developed. It is also a rich source of general information describing what people should do before, during and after such an emergency.
Take a look at the site's image gallery - it showcases the history of an inspiring organisation.