Where do people turn in an emergency?

While you’re undoubtedly get better results by phoning the proper authorities if you find yourself right in the thick of a serious situation, this new infographic from the American Red Cross suggests that people are increasingly turning to social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook for updates and help during emergency situations.

Key takeaways from the survey:

• Followed by television and local radio, the internet is the third most popular way for people to gather emergency information with 18 percent of both the general and the online population specifically using Facebook for that purpose
• Nearly a fourth (24 percent) of the general population and a third (31 percent) of the online population would use social media to let loved ones know they are safe
• Four of five (80 percent) of the general and 69 percent of the online populations surveyed believe that national emergency response organizations should regularly monitor social media sites in order to respond promptly
• For those who would post a request for help through social media, 39 percent of those polled online and 35 of those polled via telephone said they would expect help to arrive in less than one hour

(Source: American Red Cross.)