Social Media as a Lifeline During Nashville’s Flood Crisis

Last week, I had the pleasure of connecting in person with Twitter friend, Mark Schaefer, when he was traveling through Nashville. During our conversation, I shared my experience with social media during the recent flooding in Nashville. This post is a result of that conversation.

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In the wake of the catastrophic flooding throughout Nashville last weekend, social media has proven to be an essential communications tool throughout the crisis. In my experience, the most relevant and up-to-date information came from blogs, Twitter and Facebook.

During last Sunday’s storm, 44,000 Nashvillians were without power (myself included). The only way I was able to receive critical information about the severe weather advisories and the growing flood problem was through Twitter and Facebook on my phone.

In the days following the storm and subsequent flooding, my social media circle has continued to keep me informed about road closures, the need to conserve water and how to volunteer with relief efforts. It has been amazing to see the exchange of important, timely information take place online.

To continue reading, check out the full post here.

P.S. Mark is generously matching donations to Nashville flood relief efforts (up to $1,000 total). If you’ve donated to Nashville flood relief (or if you want to), check out the full post on Mark’s blog to see how your donation will be matched by Mark.

Image credit: Nashville Flood Tees