On Saturday evening at approximately 10:30 PM, the power went out throughout Nuuk. 20,000 people were suddenly left in the dark.
This happened a few days after a new crisis guide for the population from the Greenlandic Government was published. From now on, people must be able to cope for five days, including during a power outage. Fortunately, Nukissiorfiit was able to announce at 04:35 on Sunday morning that the entire city was now supplied with electricity, water and heating again.
But Nuuk has experienced long power outages before. And in that situation, many people are probably looking for information about what is going on. Several authorities, such as the Greenland Police and KommuneqarfikSermersooq, primarily used Facebook to communicate, and that is a problem, says director and editor-in-chief of Mediehuset Sermitsiaq, MasaanaEgede.
- I think it's critical that so many public authorities only use Facebook as a crisis communication tool. I'm not questioning its effectiveness or that it's being used, but for it to stand alone is a mistake, he says.
Masaana Egede points out that not everyone is on Facebook, and that all citizens should have the opportunity to be notified.
Radio announcements three hours after
As a public service media, KNR is part of the emergency response. That is why many people go to KNR to see if they have information. However, neither the Greenland Emergency Response Team nor the Greenland Emergency Response Commission were activated, writes Naalakkersuisut in a press release.
KNR initially used their Facebook page to provide information. Here they posted seven updates about the power outage with information from Nukissiorfiit between 11:12 p.m. and 4:39 a.m.
But there was no article to be found on the website. They published an article about the power outage at 11:30 on Monday.
However, KNR also sent announcements on the radio every 15 minutes, they stated in a written response to Sermitsiaq.
The first came at 01:32 – about three hours after the power outage began – and the last was at 05:02 at night, after the power had been restored.
KNR has not answered whether it was better to use Facebook to inform than their own website. They refer to the Emergency Management Commission.
Facebook does not stand alone
The trend of using Facebook as a primary means of communication is recurring. Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq published six messages on their Facebook page during the power outage, but no information was available on their website.
They write to Sermitsiaq that it is Nukissiorfiit's responsibility to inform citizens in connection with power outages, but that the municipality helps to disseminate that information when necessary.
- Facebook is today one of the most used platforms among the citizens of the municipality, and it is a medium that we routinely use to share operational information and service announcements.
- This does not mean that Facebook stands alone as a channel, but in situations where we quickly want to convey information from another authority, it is an effective way to reach many citizens in a short time, writes department head Rasmus Christiansen.
He states that if the municipality's own emergency response had been activated, for example in connection with the establishment of hot rooms, emergency transport or other municipal emergency response tasks, they would also have used other channels, including press releases and possibly radio.
Naalakkersuisut takes experiences with it
The Greenland Government wrote in a press release on Monday that the power outage on Sunday night was a real test of preparedness.
- It showed that the authorities can act quickly and coordinate effectively when necessary. We are in a time when fast and accurate information is extra important, and we take the individual critical statements into account in our evaluation of the process to identify what we can do better in the future, says naalakkersuisoq for fisheries, hunting, agriculture, self-sufficiency and the environment, Peter Borg (D).
Naalakkersuisoq for business, raw materials, energy, the area of justice and equality, Naaja H. Nathanielsen (IA), praises Nukissiorfiit for their quick and professional efforts.
- Nukissiorfiit continuously informed the population via Facebook and from midnight also on their own website. It is clear that in the future we must ensure that information about the outcome is not only published on social media, but also on the authorities' own platforms, she says.
Strong winds cause power outage
Nukissiorfiit posted an update on their website at midnight. There was a delay in website updates as the connection to their system was blocked, they told Sermitsiaq. On Facebook, they posted continuous updates from 11:01 p.m.
- We are aware that not everyone has Facebook. Therefore, our information must be available on our website as well, says Energy Director Johan Danielsen in a written response to Sermitsiaq and continues:
- Later at night and until the whole city was connected, KNR Radio was involved, which was a good initiative as it made it possible for citizens without access to the internet and Facebook to follow the situation, when the supply was back in all of Nuuk.
He states that the transmission line was inspected yesterday, and there were no immediate faults or damage to be seen. The cause of the outage is probably due to strong easterly winds on Saturday, which caused two conductors to come so close to each other that a short circuit occurred.
Sermitsiaq has attempted to get a comment from the Greenland Police, but they have not returned before deadline.
