Mark Hachman noted in an AppScout post yesterday that the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services is using Google Maps to show the areas being affected by wildfires, which have already displaced some 500,000 Southern Californian residents and led several counties to declare a state of emergency. Other tech companies have been getting in the act too, doing what they can to help those whose homes and families have been devastated by the fires that have been raging all week.

Here's a list of some of the ways that companies and users are using technology to help during the fires. We will add to it as we receive more information. (Photo courtesy of NASA/GSFC.)

•Google Maps is being used in conjunction with several different organizations, including KPBS, The LA Times, and The Orange County Register. A detailed list can be found over at Google's blog.

•Verizon is providing subscribers with free call-forwarding to numbers at any location, helping displaced residents stay in touch with loved ones. The company is also providing the Red Cross with emergency telephone lines for use by evacuees.

•Lots of people are blogging updates and the fires' impacts on their lives. Lance Ulanoff pointed me to one Twitter user who is doing just that. The page also includes links to Flickr galleries of images from the fires. The aforementioned TV station KPBS is also using Twitter to deliver breaking news. This is a great way of disseminating local information that won't make it to TV or radio.

•Amateurs are also posting videos of the fires' impact on sites such as YouTube.

•Wired just published a How To, featuring tips from government Web sites that can help you protect you house and family from the threat of wildfires.

•Also from Wired, an interesting blog post about a low-tech solution. San Diego residents displaced by the fires are calling home to see if their answering machines are picking up. "It's a machine, not voice mail," Rancho Bernardo resident, Yun Ling told Wired. "That means the plastic box is still there and there's power. That gives us hope."

•USA Today has a good, regularly updated rundown of how the fires are affecting area telecom services.

•Not techie per se, but U-Haul is offering free storage for residents effected by the fire. The company has been known to offer there services during times of crisis.

If you come across any more tips, please send a note to gearlog@ziffdavis.com and we'll post it.