Thread by @utotranslucence

I'm at my parents' place, 1hr south of Sydney, Australia.

Bushfires have hit coastal communities (swollen with holiday tourists) a few hrs south of us - thousands of people trapped on beaches or on boats by fires, in areas where all the roads are now blocked off.

People have been directed to leave where possible, but there are several issues. Firstly, driving is hard:

- There is no power, limiting gas stations' ability to offer fuel
- Gas stations are running out of fuel
- Even roads that are open have terrible visibility bc smoke

Second, supplies are running low:

- Drinking water is getting contaminated with ash
- People evacuated to the beach or ocean quickly, with limited food and water supplies
- Supermarkets have no power, and can't get supplies because of blocked roads, so their inventory is limited

But also, all communication is down:

- No power means no landlines or wifi
- Many mobile towers are down (although telcos are working hard to get them back up)

Misinformation spreads. Govt authorities communicate via town hall meetings in the dark. Some ppl can use Twitter.

These fires have happened in well-resourced communities with few class/racial tensions, a strong culture of respect for police and firefighters, generous local businesses, fire services that help people prepare for fires in advance, and equipment like boats and solar panels.

And yet the lack of comms infrastructure means the danger isn't just from the fires. We are dependent on phones & internet to maintain our social order; whether a disaster causes social breakdown depends on what common knowledge exists + can be created quickly.

In all the media and Twitter coverage, I've seen the word 'looting' only once, and no mention of social unrest, fights, or conflict with authorities even as info was uncertain and water running out.

(Everyone's pissed at the Prime Minister though for going on holidays to Hawaii and then throwing an expensive NYE bash at his mansion in Sydney to watch the pretty fireworks while whole towns burned. They've got a fair point hey)

These Australian communities (like Lake Conjola and Mallacoota) are incredibly well prepared, socially and practically, to 'pull together' in a disaster. And Australian culture promotes this; we're proud of our resilience in a crisis.

But - I think about my inner-city neighbourhood in the Bay Area and I know disaster management would be much harder there. Lack of trust in authorities, more social tensions, language barriers, more social inequality.

In a crisis, when you run out of fuel or don't know which route is safe to travel, your life could be saved by a stranger. It's millions of these little generosities which stop crises from escalating into riots and civil breakdown. We keep trusting each other.

The media is instrumental in creating this trust - telling stories of generosity, of heroism, of community resilience. Not just for today's disaster, but for tomorrow's. Not just in your town, but in mine. We expect that everyone else expects good behaviour, and rise to it.

It's now 2020, and let's be honest, these kinds of disasters will only get more frequent. An area of Australia the size of Belgium has burned in the last two months.

I worry, because Australia has a collective memory of many stories of community resilience. Bushfires, floods, #Illridewithyou from the Lindt cafe attack.

But America has Katrina, preppers, and a broken relationship between police and vulnerable communities.

Two questions:

How can communities implement emergency comms infrastructure, that everybody can use? What is actually being implemented now? (No futuristic blockchain mesh networks, unless my grandma can use them, thanks)

Second, how can places with pessimistic social stories about disasters turn them around? How could Oakland, for example, become a place that believes in itself during an earthquake - where authorities are trusted and trustworthy? How can media help?

Household emergency preparedness is only one component; if you're surrounded by thousands or millions of unprepared people who are hungry, confused and scared, your own supplies and info mean little. 'Community resilience' is about common knowledge.

(Also, paid and volunteer firefighters have been fighting nonstop for two months. Several have died already. I'm talking about media and social tech solutions, but I'm also very grateful for the people in the embers, breathing smoke and defending lives with their bare hands.)

But also, 10/10 responsible journalism for the outlets reporting on volunteering by minorities who are often targeted by racial violence - like these South Asian restaurant owners serving free meals.

Coverage like this saves lives (over time).
msn.com/en-au/news/aus…

(My dad would like to put in a request on behalf of Australia to NZ to see if we could rent Jacinda Ardern for a bit)