UK: a network of volunteers to better handle disasters

In his article "Think tank: Your call-up to the civil action squad: A national network of volunteers will help us handle disasters better", Charlie Edwards reports that "when it comes to emergency planning and disaster management, it’s particularly pressing that government should find a new way to engage with citizens."

His article calls for citizens to engage and cites the Internet and emerging social network platforms such as Facebook and Twitter as powerful tools that can help citizens and authorities to spread useful information and check for updates on disaster management plans or during emergencies.

Charlie Edwards is head of the security programme at Demos and is the author of the report Resilient Nation.