Thursday, December 7, 2017

California wildfires spur social media users to share important updates

The videos are breathtaking—and heartbreaking.

Social media users have been posting clips of their commutes along California highways, typically garnering attention for their horrendous traffic—now ablaze.

Wildfires have entered the heart of one of America’s most iconic cities, threatening the Getty museum and the UCLA campus, not to mention countless homes and possessions.

The New York Times reported:

Late Wednesday night, officials sent an e mergency alert to all of Los Angeles County warning of “extreme fire danger.”

Officials also held a press conference with the mayor attempting to speak to the city’s fear and losses.

The New York Times continued:

“These are days that break your heart,” Mayor Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles said at a news conference. “These are also days that show the resilience of our city.
[FREE DOWNLOAD: Keep your cool in a crisis with these 13 tips.]

Fire officials have worked to explain how the winds make this fire more dangerous than other fires and have been careful to direct the public to evacuate as the safest course of action.

USA Today reported:

“When we have opportunities, when the winds have died down, we do direct firefighting on the fire line and try to get some containment,” said Ventura County Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen.

But that will solely depend on Santa Ana winds, which authorities anticipate to be extremely strong Thursday and to continue to Saturday. Conditions also are expected to be bone-dry, with humidity in the single digits.

Pimlott said he fears winds could gain speeds up to 80 mph.

"There will be no ability to fight fires in this type of wind. This will be about evacuation and getting people out from in front of any fires that start in these types of conditions," Pimlott said.

LA Health tweeted out an action plan for the community to prepare for the fire’s impact:

LA Country Fire posted video updates:

It also used visuals to grab readers attention while calling for the public to read its preparation guide:

One effective tool shared on Twitter was a list of 10 things firefighters tell their own family member to do to prepare for an evacuation:

Institutions like the Getty Museum tweeted its closings and informed the public about the work it was doing to prepare for the fire.

On Facebook, family members shared interactive maps that showed evacuation routes and affected areas.

Some also tweeted ways for people to donate:

How are you talking about the California fires, PR Daily readers?



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