Hurricane planners eye Twitter

CLEARWATER - A hurricane is approaching Pinellas County. Evacuations are being ordered and shelters are being opened. What do you do?

If you're Tom Iovino, you are Tweeting, posting updates on social media service Twitter.com.

"We're going to do this as much as we can here," said Iovino, who handles emergency communication for Pinellas County.

Twitter is the Internet's repository for short, often pointless messages about users' lives. But the 'Tweets' can also serve a serious purpose.

Emergency managers in Hawaii recently used Twitter and other social media services to warn that state's residents of a possible tsunami. The warnings quickly spread, with subscribers forwarding the alert to non-subscribers.

It's impossible to tell how many additional people received notice, but disaster planners there have declared it a success.

Florida emergency managers are taking note.

525 user "follow" Pinellas County on Twitter. It has yet to use the service for a large-scale event such as a hurricane or tropical storm. But, it has been added to the county's hurricane response plan.

'Tweeting' is official business.

Iovino said web-based messaging makes good sense, since so many mobile phones have Internet service and can access services such as Twitter.

"They don't have to be at a computer, they don't have to be at a TV, don't have to be listening to a radio," said Iovino. "People can get those messages delivered right to their cellular phone."

As an example, Iovino said it will easier to contact drivers who are perhaps stuck in an evacuation traffic jam. Or he said, a subscriber can forward a message to a non-subscriber, as in the Hawaii case.

The potential reach comes at a remarkably low cost.

First, the service is free. And, Iovino says, Twitter messages are much easier to disseminate than alerting traditional news outlets—which then must rebroadcast the information.

"It takes all of about 25 or 30 seconds," he said of his emergency 'Tweets.'

A Pew Research Center study released March 1 found a third of cellular subscribers get their news on their cell phones. And, among specific current events topics those people seek, weather was at the top of the list.

Television still outpaced the Internet for news delivery, according to Pew.

Iovino says emergency managers will continue to focus on traditional media outlets, such as TV and radio.

But, he expects greater emphasis on social media.

"We want to make sure we are able to reach out to as many people as possible," he said. "And get that message out."