(NOTE: This post has been updated as of 1:55pm EST with a few helpful Sandy related resources below. – JB)
As the East Coast battens down the hatches for Hurricane Sandy, social media is awash with chatter surrounding the approaching “Frankenstorm.” Whether trying to locate the closest emergency shelter, following updates from their local news/weather networks or sending, “stay safe” thoughts to their friends/family, social media users have flocked to Twitter and Facebook to stay on top of anything and everything Sandy related.
Over the past seven days, Sandy has generated well over 3.4 million mentions across Facebook and Twitter alone with 1.2 million on Sunday alone.
Indeed, more and more people are using their social media accounts to communicate with each other and seek real-time information in times of emergency. As the American Red Cross discovered through its post-Haiti earthquake relief efforts, social media can be an invaluable tool in dealing with such crises. Their social media command center has been invaluable for their communication efforts. A quick response is crucial when lives are on the line.
Watching the main topics of conversation (top keywords) is an ideal way to stay informed. Here’s the latest conversation cloud on Sandy.
Twitter in particular has been a hotbed of Sandy-related chatter, with the #Sandy hashtag a national trending topic throughout the weekend. Those in the storm’s path have kept Twitter users up-to-date on what’s going on in their area as the storm moves in. Given that our own Amanda Nelson is in an affected area (Connecticut) she reached out to her local meteorologist, WTNH News 8′s Gil Simmons, to find out how social media helped relay Sandy information.
@gilsimmons Covering the social conversation around #sandy for @marketingcloud blog. How does social help spread your message during storms?
@amandalnelson @marketingcloud faster than lightning! Incredible avenue for information!
Amanda L. Nelson @amandalnelson 
Gil Simmons NEWS8 CT @gilsimmons With Twitter and Facebook now readily accessible through mobile devices, those networks have become invaluable in keeping up with major events. Even those without power can use their smartphones to stay connected (as long as they’re charged!)
Meteorologists and media outlets aren’t the only ones capable of offering valuable information during a storm. Twitter users are keeping their followers updated on the storm’s path but also aspects of storm prep that you may not immediately think of. Some are taking pictures to show off the state of affairs on local stores’ shelves.
Hadil Khalaf @Hadil_Khalaf 
Others are offering photos of their local areas current status.
LONG BEACH ISLAND: An 8 a.m. photo of Long Beach Blvd. from a resident….before high tide. #frankenstorm #sandy pic.twitter.com/z1y5AkoF
Nicholas Huba @nicholashuba With so many of our own team located on the East Coast, Marketing Cloud is keeping a close eye on the social media chatter surrounding Hurricane Sandy. We’ve curated a list of accounts we’ll be watching as well. If you will be in the affected areas, be sure to follow some of those accounts to get the best information surrounding the storm.
For those affected by #Sandy, we’re thinking of you & hoping you stay safe. Here’s a list of helpful accts to follow:
Marketing Cloud
Hurricane Sandy Resources/Links (UPDATED)
– If you’ve lost cable or satellite TV service, The Weather Channel is available on YouTube right now.
– FlightAware.com has an for those travelling by air this week.
– Hopefully, this doesn’t apply to you, but text SHELTER + your ZIP code to 43362 (4FEMA) to find the nearest shelter in your area. (Standard text rates will apply). Also, the Red Cross Shelter map can be found here.
– The Red Cross Hurricane app is also available. Check out this link for details. From your mobile phone, call “**REDCROSS” (**73327677) and they will send you a link to download the app to your mobile, or you can download them directly from the iTunes or Google Play app stores.
– If you’re worried about losing internet access, The Washington Post has a look at how you can use Twitter via SMS to keep up with important updates.
– Remember, we’ve curated a Twitter list of as many must-follow accounts that we could think of. You can find that list here. If anyone in our community has more that we may have missed, please feel free to grab our attention on Twitter.
– Our friends at Mashable have a great post detailing how you can follow Sandy online, including maps and webcams.
– For those interested, the Wall Street Journal has a comparison graphic of Irene vs. Sandy on their site now as well.
– Search Engine Journal has a post up listing ways you can help those touched by Sandy already.
– Keep updated on Sandy related happenings by following the #Sandy hashtag on Twitter. Other top tags include #Hurricane, #HurricaneSandy, and #FEMA.
(Big thanks to Community Manager Trish Forant for collecting this information)
If your company is affected by Sandy, we hope this ebook, All-Star Crisis Social Media Crisis Response for Brands, might be helpful. Stay safe.
Tags: #Sandy, crisis management, frankenstorm, social media monoitoring, Trending topics
About the author Jason Boies is a Brand Journalist for the Salesforce Marketing Cloud Community team. He’s an avid reader, comics fan, wannabe comedian, and film buff. Focusing on current events and trending topics, Jason can be found on Twitter at @JasonBoies where he tweets about social media, tech, health, film, breaking news, and pop culture.