The following information type categories all include a description of ways in which buildings, infrastructural components such as roads and bridges, property and other structures are affected by the mass emergency.
Remember that some degree of specificity is important! When reviewing tweets in the context of a disaster, scale matters. For instance, we know that the Colorado wildfires devastated all of Colorado. As such, tweets that say that Colorado is being devastated by wildfires do not provide much benefit. In contrast, tweets that say the a particular neighborhood in Colorado Springs is on fire provide both a relatively precise location and a particular kind of damage. The more precise the better.
Tweets that provide information or allude to information about a structure facility or property that has suffered from a hazard. This can be for public or private structures and property of any variety. Natural features, such as trees, are covered by Damage as well.
| Disaster Data Set | Example Tweet |
|---|---|
| OK09 | Update: About 100 homes have now been destroyed or severely damaged in Midwest City, fire spokesman Jerry Lojka said. #OKFire #OKFires |
| RR09 | Oak Grove School in Fargo has been lost to the flood. #fargoflood |
| RR10 | In '09, #Fargo restored the backyards of 237 homes damaged by levees, claims averaged $1,700 - this yr. not as much damage #fmflood #flood10 |
| Haiti | Haiti’s cathedral was in ruins after the earthquake: BBC NewsThis past week, like everybody else on the globe, http://bit.ly/dtfC6u |
Tweets that contain information about the conditions, openings/closures and other status updates of…
- …roads/highways
- …bridges
- …electricity, water, and other public utilities
- …public transportation
- …airports
- …and other basic organizational aspects that allow cities, states and countries to function.
Asking questions about the status of the infrastruture does NOT necessarily qualify as Status - Infrastructure. A question that presupposes or otherwise implies damage to some component of the infrastructure does, but questions that don’t imply anything about the current status should not count as reports on the status.
| Disaster Data Set | Example Tweet |
|---|---|
| OK09 | #okfire I-35 reopened in Payne County, HWY 51 still closed |
| RR09 | Hwy 2 in GF is still open #flood09 |
| RR10 | Odor prompts change in Mhd. water supply mix: The 2010 flood is prompting a change in the way Moorhead gets its wa… http://bit.ly/99x8AH |
| Haiti | Flights to Haiti suspended after quake http://goo.gl/fb/H4hc |
Tweets that convey information and/or ask questions about the condition of personal property such as homes. Remember that natural elements, like trees and gardens, can be property as well.
Note that private property that is used as a community meeting place, including university campuses and churches, should be considered public property. Small business such as a local Starbucks should be considered private property.
Asking questions about the status of personal property might qualify as Status - Public Property. Unlike public property and the infrastructure, which are of great concerns to the general populace, personal property is often only valued by a few people. Questions about it thus often entail a very specific concern that could be relevant to sitautional awareness.
Another way to consider this: public property and the infrastructure are often in the public eye, so questions about their integrity will often be followed up with a flurry of information about their satus. Private property is often outside of the public eye, so it may be that questions about it are the only window we have into the potential damage.
| Disaster Data Set | Example Tweet |
|---|---|
| OK09 | @librarising79 And I am blessed that my home (which I love so much) is intact. Most of the wildfires are out or under control now. |
| RR09 | Oakport development North of Moorhead, MN has lost 500 homes. #fargoflood |
| RR10 | @thebroadbroad Thanks darling! My house is safe but my parents live by the river so we have been sandbagging it’s looking better |
| Haiti | The earthquake collapsed many houses in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. I wish to go there, so I think to help something to do at this time |
Tweets that communicate information about conditions of public property such as schools, hospitals, government facilities and/or other community buildings or publicly accessible properties. Remember that natural elements, like trees and parkland, can be public property as well.
Asking questions about the status of public property does NOT necessarily qualify as Status - Public Property. A question that presupposes or otherwise implies damage to some component of the public property does, but questions that don’t imply anything about the current status should not count as reports on the status.
| Disaster Data Set | Example Tweet |
|---|---|
| OK09 | @cnn fire department in carter county oklahoma burned. documents, and a firetruck |
| RR09 | Retweeting @inforum: Dike fails at Fargo’s Oak Grove Lutheran School, two buildings lost http://is.gd/puWd |
| RR10 | RT @redriveratfargo: Nothing to worry about, but there is now a waterfall filling up the el zagel golf course. |
| Haiti | My cousin was at school & jumped out the window when the earthquake hit & the building was shook. Building is gone life spared #godisgood |