Media -Slave Lake

I just want to say a big "thank you" to the Edmonton media for all their thoughtful hard work in regards to the terrible fires in Slave Lake this past week.

First off, my sincere thanks and respect to every radio and television station that quickly rallied around the need to "help" these poor victims of the fire with both fund raising and "filling the 18 wheelers" with essentials.

Big or small it didn't matter - radio "jumped" on the tragedy and provided much needed relief to these families - and it simply is something radio does 'best' at these times of need.

Next another Thank You to the crew of news personnel that quickly got to the scene and gave us such vivid content surrounding the horrible tragedy.

I was out of the country and checking my iPad for updates and it was clear as a bell with information from the media and especially with the over whelming pictures or video.

The US media carried only a snippet of information mainly because they were dealing with severe Mother Nature tragedies of their own with the floods back east.

Of note "social media" was a huge help as people at ground level fed their video to both the media and the web so that viewers could see the 'real' impact that was going on in a community that is simply not 'top of mind' in the big city!

The video was compelling and powerful, to say the least, and certainly made us all realize how horrible this fire was as it raged through their community

When you read industry blogs and related websites it seems all too often the focus is on criticizing media for various reasons - sometimes valid and sometimes just downright stupid - so it's important for me today to say "thank you media" for an amazing job in handling the Slave Lakes event and for the subsequent rescue plans that were put in to place by smart owners; Managers, and Program Directors in Edmonton.

Ditto Editors of the papers; promotion departments and street teams; and to the citizens of Edmonton who donated 'anything' to help the cause.

I hope the Government (both Provincial and Federal) act quickly to help the rebuild. The gift cards were a good step but when you have lost "everything" you are likely going to have to relocate to survive and the Slave Lake area will not only lose good citizens but 'businesses' that are needed to help it thrive and survive down the road.

Now how about a giant media Habitat for Slave Lake building bee to get these people back into homes as quickly as possible?

Lets not forget this area is going to need a massive rebuild quickly because these types of events are quickly forgotten in a busy world - and lord knows the snow will be flying again in mere months adding to the effect of the loss.