Hurricane Sandy caused widespread damage and power outages in Westchester County in late October 2012. The Westchester Library System utilized social media to provide residents with up-to-date storm information and assistance. They posted on Facebook and Twitter about power outages, shelter locations, volunteering opportunities, and which libraries had power and internet access available. Engagement increased as residents relied on WLS for critical information. Moving forward, WLS planned to continue using social media to share community information and support member libraries.

1. Social Media & Hurricane Sandy
Presentation by Shira Zwebner
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
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2. Recap
 On Tuesday, October 30th, Hurricane Sandy made landfall over New
Jersey. The storm was deadly and devastating and left millions of
New Yorkers without power.
Westchester Facts:
 Parts of Westchester were flooded, with residents and
businesses falling victim to severe structural damage
and loss
 Westchester streets were littered with downed trees and
branches, and dangerous power lines
Millions of Westchester residents were without power
throughout the week, with some not forecasted to regain
power until November 10th
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3. Social Media Strategy
 Become a reliable source of information for the thousands of
Westchester residents that were literally in the dark
Utilize social media entities to convey up to the minute, in-depth
news to Westchester residents. Information shared through social
media included:
Potential dangerous situations about venturing out into the
storm
Information about shelter locations
Data about power outages
Opportunities to volunteer or donate
Locations to fill up on gas
Election information and open polling stations
And, most importantly, library locations that were available to
shelter residents from the storm and the aftermath. 3

4. Monday, October 29th
Shared via Facebook:
FYI - Monday, 11:45 a.m.: All flights scheduled for today — more
than 200 — have been canceled at the Westchester County
Airport, an operations employee there said. The airport remains
open and fully-staffed, though without arriving or departing planes.
Some airlines are holding out hope that flights may get off the
ground tomorrow, and scores are still scheduled. New York City
airports are also open but flights have been canceled.
FYI - In Westchester, Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano ordered a
voluntary evacuation of four high-rise buildings on the Yonkers
waterfront. Over 1300 residential units in the Scrimshaw House (23
Water Grant Street) and the three buildings of Hudson Park (1
Alexander Street/I Pier Pointe/1 Van Der Donck Street) were asked
to evacuate by 9 tonight.
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5. Tuesday, October 30th
 Shared via Facebook:
 LATEST ON ConEd OUTAGES: Nearly 69,000 Con Edison
customers in New York City and Westchester County have already
lost power, and the utility is considering preemptively shutting down
the grid for thousands more, as Hurricane Sandy increases in
intensity.
 Westchester County was hardest hit, with 21,800 without
power, followed by Staten Island (18,522), Queens
(18,265), Brooklyn (8,083) and The Bronx (2,042), according to
information provided by a ConEd and an NYPD source.
 From the newsroom: Most of the power outages outside New York
City are in Westchester, Putnam, Rockland and Sullivan
counties, where more than 200,000 customers are without electricity.
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Like this post if you're in Westchester and you have power!

6. Wednesday, October 31st
We just spoke to Larchmont Public Library
Director, Laura Eckley, who has been
posting these pictures! The library is open!
There's plenty of heat, working
wireless, and free coffee and donuts!
Shared via Twitter:
 RT @Scott_Wolfson: #Sandy alert: #CPSC is tracking
carbon monoxide incidents w/ gas generators. #CO
can kill w/i minutes, keep them outside!
 Want to donate to a Hurricane Relief fund but don't
know of it's legit? Need peace of mind? Research
charities on charitynavigator.org
 Looking for information about a #library in 6
#Westchester? Here's a list of our 38 member libraries
& their contact info ow.ly/eVfU8

7. Thursday, November 1st
Shared via Facebook
FYI - important news! Be careful around these areas because
of exposed gas lines. Avoid the areas of White Plains Rd. in
Eastchester, Central Ave. in Yonkers, North Ave. in New
Rochelle on the North End, Yonkers Ave. and Kimball Ave. in
Yonkers, all backed up due to gas lines.
“The Warner Library isn't alone in its
popularity among those wanting Wi-Fi
in Westchester. Of the 38 public
libraries in the county, 20 are open and
offering wireless access. Pat
Braja, director of development for the
Westchester Library System, said many
of these locations are just as packed.” 7
- - Newsday article, Jillian Sederholm

8. Implementation/Engagement
Implementation
 Since October 29th, our strategy has been to provide our followers with
relevant news and information pertaining to the aftermath of Hurricane
Sandy
 During the days leading up to the election, we’ve also shifted our focus
to include relevant information regarding polling stations that were open
for voting
 We’ve increased the amount of social media posts, and have shared
posts from other outlets including Westchester politicians, news
outlets, and residents
Engagement
 As a result, we have experienced an increase in engagement
 On Facebook, more followers are liking and commenting on posts
 On Twitter, our posts have been retweeted and responded to.
Also, most importantly, we have started dialogues with many members
of the Westchester community, who have either thanked us for being 8
available and providing information, or have proactively shared their
information with us to share with our followers

9. Analytics - Facebook
From the time period of 10/27 – 11/2, our Facebook post reached
more than 820 people!
The WLS Facebook page has almost 300 fans, which is up nearly 5%
from this time two weeks ago
Our ―likes‖ and comments per post also increased during this time
period, with many posts receiving anywhere from 1 like to 16
likes/comments!
Our individual posts also did extremely well:
10/31 – Post about NYSC opening their doors to people without
power, for free. This post went viral, nearly 18% of people who saw
this post on our page, shared it on their own pages
11/4 – Post with a photo of President Obama in a library went viral.
Nearly 13% of people who saw this post on our page, shared it on
their own pages
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10/30 – Post about power outages in Westchester. The post
reached 100+ people, with more than 9% sharing this post on their
own pages

10. Analytics - Twitter
 @WestLibSys Mentions by Fans and Followers:
 KatonahPoetry Nov 10, 10:56pm via Web - Look How pretty this chart
looks! WLS did a stellar job of keeping info up to date.. @WestLibSys
@Somers_Library westchesterlibraries.org/networkstatus
 FivecatStudio Nov 07, 6:41pm via Twitter for Mac ―@solskolnick: #WW
#Westchester Wednesday support Community Rebuilders @EFLI_LiFe
@WestLibSys @FivecatStudio‖ Hope all is well.
 ConEdison Nov 06, 9:00pm via HootSuite @WestLibSys Thanks for
sharing! @RobAstorino @westchestergov
 LilliWeisz Nov 03, 10:40pm via Twitter for Mac @WestLibSys Chappaqua is
in rough shape. 80% without power still. Downtown small businesses are
struggling. ConEd says no power until 11/9.
 MarsLindoTweet Nov 02, 9:16pm via Web IMHO @WestLibSys is the best
library system in the world.
 NewsdayNY Nov 02, 1:38am via HootSuite #Westchester libraries provide
power, Wi-Fi for residents left in the dark - bit.ly/TxBKCH #Sandy (cc:
@WestLibSys @TheWarnerLib)
 KatonahPoetry Oct 31, 9:59pm via Mobile Web WLS is tweeting A list of
open libraries where u can warm up and charge phones @WestLibSys 10
@solskolnick @LoHud

11. Analytics – Twitter cont.
Twitter by the numbers
Most popular links
November 1st - 17 clicks – Link to the WLS member library
page with the tweet: ―#Westchester: get the most up to date
information about our member libraries, including which ones
have Internet and Wifi
October 31st – 3 clicks – Link to the WLS member library page
with the tweet: ―Looking for information about a #Library in
#Westchester? Here’s a list of our 38 member libraries plus
their contact information
Twitter Followers on
10/30 = 453
11/12 = 488
12/3 = 519 11

12. Immediate Next Steps
With the Nor’easter hitting the Tri-State area after the election, we
have been monitoring news and providing information to our
followers.
Continue to post about potential power outages in Westchester
Updates on member libraries about early closings and/or
branches that won’t open because of the storm
Volunteer/charity opportunities
Share information from Westchester politicians that are
relevant to the community
Share posts from Westchester residents
Remind our followers that many branches will be closed on
Tuesday, because of Veterans Day
Continue to provide and share up to date information about storm
affected areas 12

13. Next steps
In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, WLS social media has positioned
itself as an essential and trusted resource for the Westchester
community. As such, we will continue providing our followers with
social posts that pertain to the community.
Information about weather and traffic in the area
Charity/volunteer opportunities and events around
Thanksgiving
Holiday countdown and events at the libraries and around
Westchester
Sharing information from Westchester politicians about news
and legislation that would affect the community
Support the social media efforts of our 38 member libraries and share
their social posts via Facebook and Twitter
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14. To learn more about the Westchester Library System
visit us at www.westchesterlibraries.org
THANK YOU!!! 14