Thor visits Lexington: Exploration of the knowledge-sharing gap and risk management learning in social media during multiple winter storms

During crises and other extreme weather events citizens need instructional information in order to learn about risks and take protective action. Social media are being increasingly utilized in crisis situations for information seeking and acquisition. The current study explores the difference between the amount of instructional information that is catalogued on public safety websites and the amount of instructional information that is shared through the Twitter accounts of the representative safety organizations during multiple winter storms. Because of the repetitive nature (two major storms only weeks apart) of the 2015 winter storms in Lexington, KY, the difference in information sharing between storms was also explored. An analysis of 400 tweets and the respective websites of public safety organizations found a sizable knowledge-sharing gap within some organizations, and that instructional communication decreased during the second storm even though the second storm was more severe. Practical suggestions are offered for emergency managers and practitioners.