過去災難傳播研究者多聚焦於大眾傳播的角色，但近年來，網際網路在災難中扮演的角色越顯重要：由於Web 2.0網路技術問世，讓網站建置技術門檻下降，人們得以在災難中形成群聚。「浮現型頻道」是重大災難期間，使用者組合當下技術資源，所建立備援的訊息管道，在短時間內形成高密度的「群聚互動」，從事社會聚合，並補充主流頻道之不足。莫拉克風災時的災情網站，便是典型的浮現型頻道。本研究以主要網站的報導文本為對象，進行不同類型的內容分析，藉以說明浮現型頻道和報導文本特徵，以及未來的研究取徑。

Disaster communication researchers focused on text reporting and the effects of mass media until the rise of Web 2.0 enabled “emerging channels” to appear during disasters. This study examined alternative channels by analyzing texts reported during Typhoon Morakot in 2009. The result indicated that emerging channels, with limited life cycles, presented comprehensive reporting disasters. Emerging channels provide not only information brokering mechanism but also social convergence. Several research implications are discussed for future research.