Local media still the best way to communicate in emergencies
KAMLOOPS — A new study released yesterday shows the struggle many Fort McMurray residents had trying to find answers in last year’s devastating wildfire. An analysis of 70,000 tweets showed many could find no source of information as the wildfire roared through their community, tearing apart lives and leaving many homeless.
Many are calling for some sort of app to feed information to residents in times of emergency, but those that have been devised so far have been woefully inadequate. They just aren’t able to keep up. Social media became the “go to” source of information, but much of it was inaccurate, and many residents wound up not knowing what to believe.
Which way to get out of town was the safest? Where can we gas up? Where do we go to find an Emergency Centre? These were the kinds of questions being asked by panicked residents watching the flames creep ever closer.
The real answer is- there is no app that will work in those kinds of situations. The fire spread far too quickly, it created such a maelstrom that no one could keep up. As tragic as that is, it’s the way it is. Ultimately, the best way of communication in these events is local media.