The official Wood Buffalo Twitter account helped many Fort McMurray residents evacuate the city safely, and probably saved some lives in the process. When the evacuation order was issued on May 3 because of the wildfire crisis the Twitter account quickly became a major source of helpful information, travel tips, and safety advice for the people who were fleeing from the wildfire. The account posted a tweet at 9:41 pm that day which read “Unless in imminent danger, evacuees who are stranded on Highway 63 should stay put. Police will be patrolling the (sic) hwy with gas cans.” An hour later the account posted another tweet “If you’re north of Confederation, don’t come south on Hwy. 63. Our priority is getting everyone out of danger.”

Without updates from the Wood Buffalo Twitter account during the wildfire evacuation many residents may have ended up stuck or in an unsafe position due to traffic jams or other issues. Regional Emergency Operations Centre employee Jordan Redshaw is one of the people who utilized the Twitter account to help with a safe evacuation, and he explained that “I’ve just been working sixteen hour days or more since Tuesday. Probably more, actually. I get a little lost now. Everyone is pretty tired and we have a lot going on, but morale is pretty good. We’re all here for the same reason.” This attitude and effort is being seen by everyone involved in the wildfire crisis. Towns and cities have been warmly welcoming Fort McMurray evacuees even though these communities have found their resources stretched thin as a result.