Region VII Preparedness Partners,
It’s that time of year when we turn our attention to Severe Weather Awareness, and few places around the country know the importance of being prepared for severe weather like the Region VII states of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska.
To amplify the message of severe weather awareness, you can help The National Weather Service (NWS), The American Red Cross, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region VII by promoting Severe Weather Week (SWXW) on Social Media via a Microburst. A Microburst is a localized version of a Thunderclap, where all participants of Severe Weather Week will use the same identifying hashtag on multiple social media accounts and platforms, creating an impact on their immediate social media environment.
We’re planning on holding the Microburst on March 23, 2021 at 10:00am CDT to introduce SWXW across FEMA Region VII’s four-state region; Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. You and your organization can participate in the Micorburst by:
• Tweeting/posting (or have someone in your organization tweet/post) a message using the hashtags; #MidwestReady, #NWS, #RedCross at 10:00am on March 23rd, using your organization’s official Social Media accounts. This will give SWXW the social media presence it deserves and drive attention to the importance of being prepared.
• Using #MidwestReady as a search, you’ll be able to find others tweeting/posting similar messages. If everyone retweets/reposts each other’s’ messages, the Microburst’s affects will grow even larger. The idea is to generate a conversation between all of our participating organizations for a few minutes at the same time on March 23, 2021 at 10:00am CDT.
• Feel free to use the hashtags in other tweets or social media posts throughout the month of March. We will continue using these hashtags during the entire month of March, culminating on March 31, 2021; using the hashtags throughout that entire time as well as the specified date and time will go a long way in increasing cross-recognition of all severe weather events, social media, and programs.
Additionally, we’re attaching a toolkit with information and resources that can be used to spread the messages of severe weather awareness and the importance of preparedness: https://unl.box.com/s/smn4bfuku0vg4n353s09kc652gqeht4v
This toolkit include key messages and talking points that you and your organization can use for public outreach efforts and social media messages to help spread the word about Severe Weather Awareness Month.
Please feel free to use this toolkit in a way that works best for you and your organization. We also encourage you to share it with your network of local preparedness partners.
Thank you,
Linda Davis, Community Preparedness Officer
Ryan Lowry-Lee (CTR), Regional Preparedness Liaison
National Preparedness Division, FEMA Region VII
11224 Holmes Kansas City, MO 64131
Phone: 816-283-7094
Email: fema-r7-community-preparedness@fema.dhs.gov
More details at: https://unl.box.com/s/smn4bfuku0vg4n353s09kc652gqeht4v