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Facebook has become a source of communication for millions of people over the years and sadly, in recent years, it has had to be used for safety check-ins. Users check themselves in to let loved ones know they are safe amid tragedies such as shootings, earthquakes and hurricanes.
After a 64-year-old suspect named Stephen Paddock opened fire at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas, Nevada, over 50 people were left dead, along with over 400 injured victims. Now, a Crisis Response has been opened on Facebook and you can access the page to let other Facebook users know you were affected. Click here to access the page. Users can mark themselves as safe and also ask Facebook users if they are safe. Your Facebook friends “in the area” will be listed on the right-hand side of the page and you can view the list to see who has been marked as safe and who has not yet posted.
On the Crisis Response page, updates on the surrounding area read that:
The Mandalay Bay has been evacuated … The Bellagio Hotel and Casino was also evacuated due to reports of a suspect with a gun in the building, however this was also confirmed to be unfounded. Several casinos in the area remain on lockdown, including the Mandalay, the Luxor, and Excalibur Vegas, as does the T-Mobile Arena. S Las Vegas Blvd has been closed between W Sahara Ave and W Sunset Rd. Limited operations have resumed at McCarran International Airport after an earlier ground stop. I-15 remains closed in the area. Motorists and pedestrians have been asked to avoid the area.
Updates, articles and photos are also available on the Facebook Safety Check-in page. There are also fundraisers and support details available on the page. For those in need of a place to stay, some users are offering up shelter, including empty Airbnb homes. Click here for the support thread on the Facebook Check-In page.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department has also tweeted that, “For families looking to locate missing loved ones, please call 1-866-535-5654.”
