Facebook Usage During a Flood – a Content Analysis of Two Local Governments’ Facebook Pages

Abstract: During a disaster it is vital that government agencies provide timely and accurate information to the public. Lately, social media such as Facebook have become important channels for crisis communica-tion. The purpose of this study is to identify the types of usage and topics in which users of a local gov-ernments’ Facebook page engage, during a flood. A content analysis was carried out on two local gov-ernments’ Facebook pages during two floods in 2013; The Bundaberg Regional Council’s (BRC) and the City of Calgary’s (CC). The results show that Facebook is an important channel for spreading in-formation. Users’ engagement is especially high in real-time operational information concerning road or school closures and drinking water. Also, the coordination of relief efforts such as volunteering rais-es a lot of interest. Important usage types and topics to communicate through a local government’s Facebook page are proposed.