Hurricane Matthew Response and Recovery

Problem/Opportunity Statement Hurricane Matthew produced devastating flooding across central and eastern North Carolina after making landfall in the state on October 8, 2016. The hurricane dumped more than 12 inches of rain in many parts of the state, raising river and stream levels to record heights in most areas and forcing the closure of hundreds of roads and the evacuations of thousands statewide.

The storm was unlike any Greenville and the state had seen since the catastrophic Hurricane Floyd of 1999. Hurricane Floyd generated flooding that killed three Greenville residents and 35 people statewide. Hundreds of others were stranded and rescued during Floyd’s flooding as the City of Greenville struggled to get the word out to its citizens in flood-prone areas.

With the lessons learned from Hurricane Floyd still in the minds of Greenville’s leaders, many of who worked with the City during the 1999 storm, they were committed to doing a better job of keeping residents informed this time.

One communication tool that was unavailable but could have been useful in 1999 was social media. Platforms such as Facebook and Twitter presented the City of Greenville with a new avenue for spreading the word about conditions, mandatory evacuations, and available resources during Hurricane Matthew. The City had a chance to communicate directly with its citizens and carry on two-way conversations about questions and concerns they had. This also provided an opportunity for City officials to relay breaking news to the public as soon as it was released and dispel some rumors that were circulating during this time.

Intended Goals or Outcomes The City’s goal was to keep its citizens safe and updated prior to and during Hurricane Matthew and the flooding event that followed. The primary concerns were keeping residents off of the roads and updated on the declared evacuation zones. The City aimed to prevent anyone from losing their life while also limiting the number of rescues that had to be performed by the City’s public safety officials.

The City aimed to utilize Facebook and Twitter to get the word out to its followers who, in turn, would share information with their networks on social media and broaden the reach. The use of social media also helped keep the out-of-town families of those living in Greenville updated on the conditions while also sparking conversations among residents about the conditions in their specific areas.

Documentation of Achievement The use of social media as a source of information during the flooding of Hurricane Matthew was deemed to be extremely effective in helping the City of Greenville avoid some of its previous issues during a similar flooding event following Hurricane Floyd in 1999.

In 1999, the City had three deaths related to flooding. Fortunately, there were no deaths in the city during Hurricane Matthew’s flooding. Greenville Police also reported fewer responses to flood-related accidents, and the number of rescues for individuals trapped in cars or homes decreased from more than 500 during Hurricane Floyd to nearly 100 during Hurricane Matthew. City officials credited better communication (specifically through the broad reach of social media) about dangerous conditions for the decreases in these statistics.

The City of Greenville was also able to more easily track its effectiveness in reaching people during Hurricane Matthew. During the month of October when Matthew hit, the City’s Facebook following increased from 4,443 to 6,543, and its Twitter following increased by 848 followers. The City’s Fire/Rescue and Police Departments also experienced dramatic increases in the number of followers on these sites. Additionally, the City could track the number of people each post reached and the numbers far exceeded the average post prior to the storm, including one post that reached more than 735,000 people.

One additional unforeseen benefit of the use of social media during the Hurricane Matthew response and recovery phases was the national exposure it brought Greenville. Clips from videos produced by the City of Greenville Public Information Office were used in news telecasts throughout the country, and Greenville received a plethora of requests from people outside of the state wanting to know how they could help.

Budget and Use of Outside Resources The only costs associated with the use of social media during Hurricane Matthew was the staff time dedicated to producing content and posting the updates online.