In a dramatic demonstration of the power and value of consumer media technology, television coverage of the feared Hawaiian tsunami leaned heavily on cell phones, web cams, and Skype to inform the public about the impending threat and advise citizens to take cover.
The innovations were partially driven by the closing of many of the states’ low-lying airports out of concern for potential flooding from the tsunami which was expected to result from the massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Chile earlier in the day. That left news organizations with no way to transport crews between the state’s many islands to cover the story.
Hawaiians take tsunami warnings seriously, recalling the destruction caused by the 1960 Hilo tsunami, which killed 61 people and which also resulted from a powerful earthquake in Chile.
As civil defense sirens wailed in the background, volunteer contributors joined KHON-TV’s coverage via Skype, with one such contributor commenting via cell phone and transmitting live video. Coverage also included extensive interviews with Hawaiian Governor Linda Lingle, which was also transmitted via Skype, and appeared to have been captured on a cell phone or web cam from Hawaii’s civil defense headquarters. Between dispatches from volunteers, local television reporters relayed background information as the tsunami landed on other Pacific shores.
Fortunately, by the time the tsunami warnings were cancelled, no harm was done and nobody was hurt, but in the future new media will certainly be an important contributor to public safety.
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