Using Twitter for crisis communications in a natural disaster: Hurricane Harvey

This article examines the use of social media, specifically Twitter, in crisis communications during a natural disaster and how it can provide information, guidance, reassurance and hope to victims while keeping others across the nation and the world apprised of the situation so they can provide assistance, as needed. A case study looks at how the mayor of Houston, Texas, Sylvester Turner, used Twitter during Hurricane Harvey in August and September of 2017. The case study is analyzed using restorative rhetoric theory, revealing the use of Twitter by Mayor Turner to be a strong example of successful restorative rhetoric during a natural disaster. This research affirms the findings of other researchers that the restorative rhetoric stages overlap, and that the theory may be improved with some variation based on crisis type. This research also shows that Mayor Turner's use of Twitter exemplifies best practices for using social media in crisis communications with very few opportunities for improvement. This article offers suggestions to crisis managers on how to use Twitter to prepare for, communicate during, and go forward following a natural disaster.