Not for the Faint of Heart: A Content Analysis of FEMA's Use of Twitter During the 2017 Hurricane Season

Link to digital presentation: https://youtu.be/WaTXpXvUYhU | Applying semantic and content analysis research methodologies, this study examined posts by 13 of FEMA’s Twitter accounts during the 2017 hurricane season comparing messaging content across time between FEMA and its regional counterparts during Harvey, Maria, Irma, and Nate. Results showed FEMA provided information to affected publics and bolstered its work using various Twitter features. Differences were identified in tweets published by FEMA’s national and regional accounts. From hashtags to visual elements, FEMA's tweet content changed as the season progressed: more tweets included information about the impact of the storms. More tweets shared factual information from hurricane to hurricane, and the tweets tended to use more hashtags and account tags, which should broaden their audience.