Social Media Can Help Identify Evacuation Patterns

The author describes the work of a professor who analyzed Facebook evacuation data following the Mendocino Complex Fire and Camp Fire in California in 2018. For the Mendocino Complex Fire, she found that evacuation patterns were dispersed, but the data showed people returning to their homes after the fire. After the Camp Fire, less people returned home because more areas were destroyed. The results show that awareness of these trends can help healthcare workers identify where additional support can be provided.