ArticleBMC public health2026
The digital pulse of disaster: tracking public health needs via X during 2023 Türkiye earthquakes.
Article in BMC public health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
backgroundSocial media plays an important role in disseminating information and identifying real-time needs during disasters. Its importance was shown on February 6, 2023, when Türkiye was struck by two destructive earthquakes. This resulted in tens of thousands of fatalities and economic devastation. In the early aftermath, social media was utilized as an important instrument for public coordination, information dissemination and social mobilization.
methodsThe study analyzed 697,313 tweets shared between February 6 and 14, 2023. Data were acquired via the X API v2 and processed to assess the engagement metrics of digitally expressed disaster needs using Python (version 3.12.7). Named Entity Recognition approach was applied to a combined rescue-request corpus to extract and geocode spatial data for heatmap visualization.
resultsMost frequent hashtags, types of requests, and patterns of interaction were investigated to examine how individuals communicated and expressed their needs during the earthquake. Findings showed that X contained time-sensitive, publicly generated signals related to rescue appeals, shelter needs, hygiene concerns and humanitarian coordination. During the first 12 hours of the earthquake, communication was primarily characterized by urgent requests for emergency rescue and heavy machinery. By the second day, shelter-related posts became more prominent with blanket and tent related requests. After the fourth day, there was a consistent rise in the posts about hygiene items and mobile toilets. The requests reached a peak between days five and seven.
conclusionThe study highlights the potential value of social media data as a supplementary source for understanding publicly expressed needs during disaster response. X posts reflected a temporary shift from urgent rescue appeals to shelter, hygiene, and recovery-related concerns. However, because this study was descriptive and did not assess post accuracy, operational impact, or predictive performance, the findings should be interpreted as digital indicators of public concern rather than direct evidence of response effectiveness.
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