As Tropical Storm Isaac became a hurricane last week, many people including government officials turned to social media for information.
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal used Twitter to provide the public with information about ongoing evacuation efforts, his communication with government agencies in asking for assistance, and critical storm updates.
On Thursday, Gov. Jindal tweeted, "Officials in MS are beginning to breach the dam to relieve pressure, but folks should take every precaution and prepare for the worst." On Friday, he posted a photo of Gov. Mitt Romney inspecting relief efforts in Lafitte on his Facebook page.
The Mayor of New Orleans, Mitch Landrieu, similarly posted updates about the storm and the city’s response plans. On Wednesday, Mayor Landrieu tweeted, "Causeway Police reporting the Causeway Bridge is closed due to waves over topping the bridge. Stay inside if you can."
BreakingNews.com and Google aggregated information from social media into useful tools. NBC’s Breaking News site and mobile app displayed tweets in one easy to read location along with articles from local newspapers.
Google created a Hurricane Isaac Crisis Map to track the path of the storm with radar information and warnings and evacuations. Users could select from a variety of information to see including locations of shelters and videos uploaded from the area.
