cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/19124166

Social media giant Meta blocked or hid Facebook search results for “Cyclone Alfred” ahead of the tropical storm bearing down on Australia’s east coast.

The platform is a key communication channel for emergency coverage in Australia and is used to help broadcast evacuation orders and other updates to residents during a crisis.

Tropical Cyclone Alfred is expected to make landfall between the Gold Coast and southern parts of Wide Bay region as early as Thursday evening as a category two cyclone.

It is forecast to bring destructive winds and the risk of life-threatening flooding.

But general searches about cyclones or “TC Alfred” did produce information and articles in the search results, indicating some kind of throttling about the term Cyclone Alfred specifically.

[…]

The Queensland government has urged the community to visit its disaster monitoring website for the most up-to-date information.

  • BlueSquid0741@lemmy.sdf.org
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    5 hours ago

    I urge people to keep a handheld radio on their shelf with a couple of good batteries in it. Just a speaker and an analogue tuner.

    • Fuse@infosec.exchange
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      31 minutes ago

      @BlueSquid0741
      Better to keep the batteries ‘out’ of the radio, but stored ‘with’ the radio.

      If fitted to even a simple device like a torch, pretty much any battery can leak.

      If the radio’s battery terminals become corroded from a leaking battery…
      …well, it’s not good.

      (Please don’t ask me how I know this…)

      @shirro