DENVER -- Emergency managers say social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and Flickr are radically changing the way disaster situations are handled.

Dr. Jeannette Sutton of Colorado University Boulder’s Natural Disaster Center said that her research showed that Web-savvy people are all "a-Twitter" when disasters strike.

She told TV station KMGH in Denver that one of the first documented signs of the phenomenon came from Facebook in the hours after the shootings on the Virginia Tech campus in April 2007.

"People who were distributed across these networks were able to identify all of the names of the deceased before the official announcement came out about who was deceased," said Sutton.

Sutton said emergency management specialists risk irrelevance if they don’t embrace social networking.

Now, across the country, cities, counties and disaster organizations like the Red Cross and FEMA are looking to social media sites to not only be seen, but also to see what's going on.

Boulder County, Colo., for example, was broadcasting Twitter "tweets" after a major fire.

"By the end of that fire we had 100 new followers that were following us on Twitter and other organizations were re-tweeting us, including FEMA," said Boulder County Commission spokeswoman Patricia Demchak.

Sutton said that while some organizations are keeping pace with Internet technology, many federal agencies remain skeptical about sites that could foster more rumor than reality.

But Sutton’s research shows that people are often extremely cautious about fact-checking their information before disseminating it.

Sophia B. Liu, a graduate student in engineering, is a perfect example. Liu tracks social networking during disaster situations as part of the Alliance for Technology, Learning and Society at Colorado University Boulder.

A Boulder resident, she was evacuated after the Olde Stage Coach fire broke out and immediately started Twittering to keep track of the information she was hearing.

"That local knowledge of citizens who live in the area can be key in terms of providing quick information," said Liu.

Liu said many of the firefighters who were staged throughout her neighborhood as evacuations were under way shortly after the fire broke out were brought in from elsewhere and could not tell her the best route out of her neighborhood.

Liu wound up Twittering that and other crucial information. Boulder police spokeswoman Sarah Huntley said that in some cases, Liu’s information came out quicker than law enforcement’s.

Sutton said there is always a danger that rumor or gossip could have a negative impact, but she said the benefits of social networking in disaster situations far outweigh the risks.

"It's a way to tune in and find out, 'How is my warning being perceived?' and 'How is the info actually coming across to the public?'" Sutton said.