FEMA, federal emergency management agency, has been hard at work for the last week heading relief efforts on the east coast following the destruction and devastation of hurricane sandy. The east coast has seen extreme hardships and destruction from this natural disaster, leaving FEMA with a hug mess to clean up. In the new technical era, keeping citizens informed is easier than it ever has been before. With Twitter and Facebook, FEMA can keep victims of sandy updated in real time.

Social media has everyday importance but this natural disaster gives its value a whole new meaning. I believe FEMA has done a great job keeping the public informed. The disaster left people without shelter, electricity and basic necessities. With social media, as long as people had battery life on their smartphones or tablets they could stay informed on Sandy updates via Twitter. with simple tweets like, “Phone lines may be congested during/after #Sandy. Let loved one know you are OK by sending a text or updating your social networks’ FEMA let its 157,000 followers know what was going on in the aftermath of the hurricane. Accounts are being updated every 5 to 10 minutes on twitter, letting followers/victims get the maximum amount of information they can. FEMA administrator Craig Fugate has been tweeting consistently about the storm for the last week and has provided more than 30,000 people with tips and links to help them find all the news related to Sandy.

FEMA is also trying to control the rumors surrounding Sandy with multiple tweets similar to this one: “Please visit http://www.fema.gov/sandy  for a one-stop-shop for #Sandy info. Be sure to check the RUMOR CONTROL section if you have questions.”. It is evident that FEMA is trying to get as much info out there as possible so people can be informed. Social media is a great way to do this and I think they have used their twitter account effectively. They keep a constant feed, with valuable information and even retweet from organizations like NY Red Cross, ASPCA, Salvation Army, and even the NY Mayor’s Office, along with countless others. Social media is a great way to keep public informed during natural disasters like Sandy and FEMA has done a great job doing so through Twitter.