Using Social Media To Keep Viewers Safe And Informed: Before, During, and After A Severe Weather Event.

This is a look at how social media can keep your viewers safe and informed not only during severe weather, but how it can be pivotal in the days leading up and also in the days following. The severe weather event I will be examining is the November 5th & 6th tornado outbreak in Middle Tennessee. In this case, 9 tornadoes touched down between 11pm and 2am and thankfully there was only one fatality. This paper will demonstrate how social media helped viewers prepare for that night and in the process saved lives. In addition, after the event it assisted the news media and National Weather Service in finding the heavily damaged areas to investigate and cover. In return, it helped gain loyal viewers.