The Use of Twitter by Official Institutions in Disaster Risk Communication and Resilience

Abstract

This study aims to explore the use of Twitter by Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) in 2021, which is determined as the year of disaster education. Within the scope of this study, the tweets of the AFAD Presidency in the media section between January 1, 2021, and December 31, 2021, were examined. The tweets were categorized considering hazard types (geological, hydrological and climatological, biological, technological accidents and Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear (CBRN), forest fires, migration, and other) and phases of the disaster management cycle (pre-disaster (mitigation, and preparedness), response, and post-disaster recovery). Five hundred and eighty tweets related to disasters were identified including the number of 88 disaster irrelevant tweets. Most of the tweets were related to hydrological and meteorological hazards. Regarding the biological disaster-induced COVID-19, only two tweets specific to the response process were identified. This study provides an overview of the characteristics and the potential role of social media in risk communication. These institutions can provide the risk information and work closely with the media to reach and share with the community.