As Isaac Hits, Agencies take to Social Media

“Please share.” So reads a message on the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Facebook page -- an appeal to get 91,000 “friends” to spread a message to Gulf Coast residents facing Hurricane Isaac.

In that message, the disaster-response agency was looking to avoid congested phone lines by encouraging residents to alert family members of their well-being using texts and social media. It was emblematic of a governmentwide effort to utilize social media as a key tool in distributing rapidly changing information to large quantities of people in a timely matter. From FEMA to the White House to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, agencies have taken to Facebook and Twitter to provide tips for preparation, promote distress hotlines and track the progress of the storm.