A Longitudinal Study of Emerging Networks during Natural Disaster Alireza Abbasi, Ph.D. Lecturer at School of Engineering and Information Technology, University of New South Wales (UNSW) Canberra PO Box 7916, CANBERRA ACT 2610 a.abbasi@unsw.edu.au Liaquat Hossain, Ph.D. Professor and Director, Information Management Division of Information and Technology Studies Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong lhossain@hku.hk Naim Kapucu Professor, School of Public Administration University of Central Florida HPA II 238M, Orlando, FL 32816-1395 kapucu@ucf.edu Here, we present a longitudinal analysis of the evolution of inter-organizational disaster coordination networks (IoDCN) during natural disasters. There are very few systematic empirical studies which try to quantify the optimal functioning of emerging networks dealing with natural disasters. We suggest that social networks are a useful paradigm for exploring this complex phenomenon from both theoretical and methodological perspective aiming to develop a quantitative assessment framework which could aid in developing a better understanding of the optimal functioning of these emerging IoDCN during natural disasters. We use the dataset from the 2004 state of Florida‟s four consecutive major hurricanes within a period of six weeks. To extract proper data, Florida State Emergency Response Team (SERT) situation reports before, during, and after the hurricanes have been reviewed. These were made available to the public daily and weekly outlining the current response efforts being monitored through the State Emergency Operation Center (EOC). A content analysis was conducted on all situation reports for each of the four storms. Here, we highlight the importance of network metrics in order to investigate disaster response coordination networks. Results suggest that in disasters, the rate of communication increases and creates the conditions where organizational structures need to move at that same pace to exchange new information. Our analysis also shows that inter-organizational coordination network structures are not fixed and vary in each period (depending on the needs). This may serve the basis for developing preparedness among agencies with an improved paradigm for gaining effectiveness and efficiency in responding to natural disasters. Keywords: Coordination Network; Network Dynamics; Disaster Response; Emergency Response; Longitudinal Analysis.