Today, the town in which I grew up was subjected to something we have never truly had to deal with, complete and utter Terror. At around 10am a College I used to attend, along with many other schools were forced to lockdown due to a unknown gunman carrying a riffle. Parents, students and towns people didn't even know how to handle such a situation, they could only sit and watch as their children and friends were stuck inside buildings. People were urged to stay in their homes, lock the windows and doors, and to not leave the home under any circumstances. The only way for all of us who were out of town, and even those who were in town, to find out what was happening was to follow the news coverage. Not only were we glued to our televisions and computers for real time news, but I followed everything through Facebook and also local forums. The local forum was actually the most informative of all the outlets.
I have never watched "real time" news like I saw today. Every second someone would post an update of what they were seeing, "helicopters arrived at 11:16", "SWAT closed off X road at X time". While this was terrifying for myself to read, it was also relieving to know actions were being taken and people were safe. Students I attended college with were actually communicating during lockdown through Facebook or the local forum, and able to express that they were ok.
From over a thousand miles away, I was able to stay informed on the entire situation. The gunman was never caught, they lifted the lockdowns and heavy police activity remains in the area. However, many of the locals were listening to the police scanners and it sounded as if they caught the suspect, Which is quite contradicting to the police statement that the report was "unfounded" and they will continue to investigate.
I am curious if they are holding back information for purposes unknown.
While this is a horrible experience for my hometown, it obviously does not effect the nation as a whole. However, my town's experience is a great example of how quickly all media outlets cover a crisis. The media were constantly updating their stories, at one point I had heard from someone inside the school that the lockdown was lifted, at 2pm. By 2:24 I was reading an article about the lockdown being lifted, and that was one of the later publishings.
I actually find the emergency response during this to be amazing. The response was nearly immediate, and being such a small town it was quite shocking how quickly helicopters, bordering town's police forces, and SWAT were able to react.
I am still in shock over how quickly the story unraveled and how media was able to keep me informed through the entire ordeal. I am pretty thankful for not only the news, but the new media (facebook, twitter, public forums, blogs) for everyone to be able to converse and stay informed, allowing everyone to stay as safe as possible. Complete and utter success in the role of the media, I have a new appreciation for it.
http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/warren-county/express-times/index.ssf/2012/03/lockdown_lifted_of_hackettstow.html
There are many other news sources.
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