Social media has changed the way people respond to disasters

SASKATOON – It is the largest evacuation in Albert’s history and, fortunately, no fatalities or serious injuries have been reported related to the out of control fires. That fact leaves some wondering how much of a role social media has played in helping to keep people safe.

On Thursday, the updates provided on the situation were grim. A total of 49 wildfires are burning in Alberta, the largest has consumed 85,000 hectares in the Fort McMurray region and is now bigger than the size of New York City.

“I thought it’s do or die, we just headed straight up through it and a transformer blew up next to us, flames were going over the road,” said one evacuee displaced by the wildfire.

“It was like hell, if you think of hell in a movie that’s what it was.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It was like hell, if you think of hell in a movie that's what it was."

FULL COVERAGE: Fort McMurray wildfire.

During a press conference, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley had a message for the tens of thousands who have had to flee.

“We have your backs,” she said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We have your backs," she said.

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“Overall more than 80,000 people have been evacuated since Tuesday, these are huge numbers to be dealing with and it’s a challenge to get an exact tally of how many people have been evacuated and where they have gone.”

3:27 Fort McMurray wildfire: A timeline of a disaster

• Fort McMurray wildfire: A timeline of a disaster
• Fort McMurray Wildfire: Firefighter video
• Fort McMurray Wildfire: Inside Fort McMurray devastation
• ‘We have a very difficult road ahead’: Alberta premier gives update on Alberta wildfires, Fort McMurray
• Fort McMurray wildfire: Timelapse video shows evacuee’s terrifying escape from Beacon Hill
• Federal government will match all individual Red Cross donations made to support Fort McMurray fire victims
• More communities in Alberta under evacuation order amid fires
• Intense video shows Beacon Hill resident fleeing as Fort McMurray wildfire rages – Part 3
• Climate change: Does a warming climate mean more wildfires?
• Defence Minister outlines military response to continuing Fort McMurray wildfires
• Ralph Goodale not ready to hand control of firefighting efforts in Fort Mac over to Army just yet
• Ralph Goodale outlines list of resources and materiel being sent to deal with Fort McMurray fires
• ‘Air tankers are not going to stop this fire’: Alberta wildfire prevention on Fort McMurray wildfire
• Fort McMurray wildfire has grown to 85,000 hectares in size, says Alberta Premier Rachel Notley
• Animation shows how inversion helped Fort Mac Fire intensify
• Horrific fatal crash on Alberta’s Highway 881 sparks blaze
• Rona Ambrose fights back tears as she discusses Fort Mac fire, gets hug from Justin Trudeau
• Albertans flee wildfires overnight
• Prime Minister Trudeau on Fort Mac wildfire: We are strong, we are Canadian, we will get through this
• Slight chance of showers only good news on the horizon for Fort McMurray

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In many cases, those on the run have used the Facebook Safety Check Feature during this disaster.

“Not only do you want to know about people’s social lives, what’s going on in their family and post photos, you also want to know in certain situations if they’re safe.”

Minute by minute information has been shared on Twitter updating people on the situation. A hashtag #yymhelp has also been created for those in search of a place to sleep.

“It’s really filtering out all the information in the world to just the pieces that you need,” said Jones.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's really filtering out all the information in the world to just the pieces that you need," said Jones.

Red Cross officials credit technology and social media for taking a huge load off of call centres in this particular disaster but note that evacuees still need to register with the organization because that can’t be done through social media.

“If family members can’t get a hold of them at least if they’re registered they can find out where they’re staying,” said Cindy Fuchs, vice-president of Red Cross in Saskatchewan.

“The second reason is really important then they’re registered for any resources that government of Alberta or other service providers can provide to them for either the short-term or the long-term.”

READ MORE: Canadian Red Cross launches new emergency preparedness app

Half the battle in the event of a disaster is being prepared as far in advance as possible, which is why Saskatoon city officials encourage everyone to sign up for NotifyNow, a local emergency notification system.

“You can sign up for text message, email, voice whatever your preference is and what you’re going to find out is what to do, where to go and what to expect,” said Debbie Davies, emergency measures coordinator for the City of Saskatoon.

WATCH BELOW: Being prepared for an emergency

3:13 Being prepared for an emergency

So far, 15,000 residents have signed up for the alert system, with notification narrowed down to a single neighbourhood in the event of an emergency.

“I think we live in such a fortunate time when it comes to information sharing, you know the bad side of that is there is misinformation out,” said Davies

“That’s why you want something like NotifyNow in your tool box because it’s a trusted source.”

It’s information from a trusted source that could some day save your life.