Patterns of population displacement during mega-fires in California detected using Facebook Disaster Maps

USA – The Facebook Disaster Maps (FBDM) work presented in this research is the first time this platform has been used to provide analysis-ready population change products derived from crowdsourced data targeting disaster relief practices. During the two mega-fires in California, FBDM data effectively captured the temporal change of population arising from the placing and lifting of evacuation orders.

A comparison between the Mendocino Complex and Woolsey fires indicates that a densely populated region can be evacuated faster than a scarcely populated one, possibly due to better access to transportation. In sparsely populated fire-prone areas, resources should be prioritized to move people to shelters as the displaced residents do not have many alternative options, while their counterparts in densely populated areas can utilize their social connections to seek temporary stay at nearby locations during an evacuation.

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Patterns of population displacement during mega-fires in California detected using Facebook Disaster Maps [ext. link]