During 2004 when Facebook was launched, Mark Zuckerberg had no idea how much of a powerful information tool it would become. He certainly didn't know how it would affect Sullivan County residents.

Recent winter storms left many without heat, wate electricity and, arguably just as important, information. While many sat in the dark and waited, many turned to social media to receive the latest local information possible.

All town supervisors and board members from across the county were updating their Facebook pages with the latest on road closures and letting those connected know where they can get help.

Warming centers were set up across the county and the county Facebook's page was very active with letting residents know where and when they were open.

Information branched out into the social media bubble of the county where officials and residents had a place to go for information at an almost instant speed.

The Town of Highland was able to get information out so fast that even Town of Tusten Councilman Tony Ritter remarked on its efficiency.

“Kaitlin Carney Hass informed the public about what roads were closed and warming centers that were open over a period of seven days,” Ritter said. “Without social media and Facebook, I don't think people would have a way to get in touch so fast. We [Tusten] did a good job, but she did a really good job getting the information out.”

For Highland, Facebook was one of the main channels for letting people know what was going on. “In a time where we are often too connected, this disaster showcased the benefit and positive power of social media,” said Hass. “Social Media played an integral part in our management of winter storms ... the board was proactive in identifying social media as a way to share and update information as part of our emergency management plan, and it proved to be critically important. We were waging an uphill battle with misinformation from NYSEG about outages, and had an accurate, dire story to tell.”

In Thompson, Supervisor Bill Reiber praised Facebook and how many people viewed the town post during the storm. During the storm, along with other supervisors, Reiber posted the latest information for their towns with power outages, road closures and warming centers near to residents.

“I feel a lot of people get less frustrated if you just let them know what is going on,” said Reiber. One post that Reiber used as an example was seen over 7,000 times. “We are getting 5,000 to 7,000 people see the information. That is a good way to get it out there,” added Reiber.

The Sullivan County Government Center was using Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to provide the latest in developments and also showcase recovery efforts that were underway.

News organizations and government are using and will continue to use the latest in social media technology to get information faster and direct to residents. With the advent of live video feed direct from mobile phones, public officials and news organizations can give people first hand information direct to their phone.