Giving Compass' Take:

• The Conversation looks at the importance of connections to the outside world when it comes to evacuating from natural disasters, and the role that social media plays (along with the data we can extrapolate from it).

• People tend to be more motivated to move from danger if those outside their immediate circle urge them to, but it's also critical we understand human behavior in general so we can form better disaster resiliency programs.

• When it comes to natural disaster preparedness, look to the children: They can tell us a lot.

In early November 2017, Brooks Fisher’s neighbor in Sonoma, California, pounded on his door at 2 a.m., rang the doorbell and shouted, “There’s a fire coming and you need to get out now! I can hear trees exploding!”

The sky was orange and the smell of smoke was strong. Fisher and his wife jumped in their car and drove out as flames engulfed houses on both sides of the road. Brooks called 911: The dispatcher told him she already had reports of fires on Rollo Road, but he and his wife saw no official responders. The only people trying to help evacuate the area were their neighbors, going door to door.

When Brooks and his wife finally returned to their home, all they found were ashes. But they were safe.

Brooks and his family survived thanks to intervention by a concerned neighbor. Many deaths that occur during events such as flooding, fires, hurricanes and mudslides could be prevented by leaving vulnerable areas. But people don’t always move, even after receiving evacuation orders or warnings of imminent risk.

To understand why, we worked with Facebook to understand evacuation patterns based on information that people shared publicly on social media before, during and after hurricanes. We found that social networks, especially connections to those beyond immediate family, influence decisions to leave or stay in place before disasters.

Read the full article about about how your social network can save you from a disaster by Daniel P. Aldrich and Danaë Metaxa at The Conversation.