SOCIAL MEDIA SNAPSHOTSOCIAL MEDIA SNAPSHOT

Navy’s preparation for and response to communicating Hurricane Irene in Social MediaAUGUST 2011

SOCIAL MEDIA SNAPSHOT

Navy put its crisis communications lessons learned into action to prepare for and respond to Hurricane Irene

• Engaged with many existing communities early on to alert them of the potential threats and available resources

• Updated online communities with regular, timely information• Engaged with families• Provided a platform for families and others to help each other• Remained ready to respond• Closed the loop with the story after the storm passed through

and ships returned

SOCIAL MEDIA SNAPSHOT

Daily updates on the expected severity and steps the Navy was taking to prepare ships, personnel and families

Received a lot of support from community members on these updates

SOCIAL MEDIA SNAPSHOT

Operational updates alerted fans to the steps being taken to prepare and respond, and keep them involved

SOCIAL MEDIA SNAPSHOT

Engagement with online communities gave members an opportunity to share their own experiences and stay engaged,

even between updates

SOCIAL MEDIA SNAPSHOT

Family members were very engaged and helping

each other

SOCIAL MEDIA SNAPSHOT

Twitter played a key role in distributing critical updates and emergency preparedness information to public

7

• Navy was responding directly to followers’ questions about Irene

• Links send followers to Navy.mil and other official government information about the hurricane and preparedness tips

SOCIAL MEDIA SNAPSHOT

Local commands stepped up, getting out important emergency information to personnel and families

8

Fans joined the conversation with helpful reminders, giving USFF the opportunity to respond with timely information.

SOCIAL MEDIA SNAPSHOT

CHINFO created a quick reference guide for personnel and families to get the information

they need at ever stage of the emergency

• Shared by Navy on all online platforms (Facebook, Twitter, SlideShare)

• Viewers shared with their communities• Over 6,000 views of the guide on

SlideShare alone

SOCIAL MEDIA SNAPSHOT

After the hurricane passed, Navy closed the loop with the story and gave a status report from

various Navy locations

SOCIAL MEDIA SNAPSHOT

Taking action early on and providing timely updates with useful and official information helped the extended Navy

family navigate Hurricane Irene smoothly

• Team approach leading up to, during and after the storm• Maintained high degree of calmness and control among Navy personnel

and family members• Served as an official government channel for information, informing non-

Navy personnel (the greater Navy family) about the storm• Maintained actively engaged community where stakeholders could get

advice, support and guidance from each other as well as from the Navy• Provided enough lead time for family and personnel to prepare and

evacuate, if necessary• Explored creative content presentation to more effectively share key info

for future crisis situations