Dry Weather = Wildfires!

View more videos at: http://nbcnewyork.com.

My last blog post was about how fire departments used social media to connect with citizens.  Now, let me give you an excellent example of how social media is properly used to warn citizens about potential danger. 

Due to severely dry weather, there has been increased brush fire danger.  So, in advance of any fires, local fire, police, EMS and governments used social media outlets to warn people about the increased risk.  Unfortunately, not enough people got the message.   Last week, over 2,000 acres burned, destroying 4 homes and 1 business, in the largest wildland fire Long Island has ever seen.

When evacuations were deemed necessary, government agencies used the same social media we all use to give advanced warning of probable evacuations.  People were also asking questions about the fire and getting answers.  Even the media was using social media to share stories and pictures from those who were affected by the fire.  It took over 2 days to control the flames. 

The video above is from the local NBC station.