Web 2.0 support in times of adversity

The fires continue to burn in Southern California. Over 500,000 people have been evacuated, 1000+ homes destroyed. I know of people who had packed and were ready to leave. This pic, taken 2 days ago, is at Foothill Ranch, about 20 miles south of where I live.


Why am I posting this here? Because, Web 2.0 did its bit to keep people informed.

A live Google Maps mashup of the fires. Probably a hundred refreshes from my computer alone.


Twitter updates: (likely that more feeds were following it)


YouTube Videos:


Flickr

The San Diego fire wiki came to the assistance of the worst affected area. About 400,000 people were evacuated from their homes.


A media major like the Union Tribune preferred using a blog for updates rather than their own website which would have carried other news.


These are just a few examples. I haven't even looked at Facebook. I am certain that more bloggers, vloggers and podcasters would have posted content all over the Internet. (US, at least.)

When technology becomes a part of life, it ceases to be technology. (somebody else said that, not me.)

p.s.: the numbers quoted here are likely to change. Please rely on official sources for exact figures.