The use of social media has changed the way the public is informed about disasters and how to recover from them. While the traditional media continue to play a key role, social media has given citizens a means to inform and protect each other as well as to alter public policy and the official approach to dealing with emergencies. The Haiti earthquake was a watershed moment that changed how social media is used in disasters. While social media was independently evolving in the years leading up to 2010, the use of social media in the Haiti disaster made public officials aware of its potential in disaster response. Since then social media has played an important part in informing and keeping the public safe at both the local and national levels.