In Case of Emergency, Read This Blog

In Case Of Emergency, Read Blog

A Citizen’s Eye View of Public Preparedness

A Reminder About Emergency E-Mail/Text Alerts As Snow Storm Hits Eastern Seaboard

March 1st, 2009 · 4 Comments

With a snow storm heading up the East Coast, my Blackberry has been buzzing with public email and text alerts about the weather situation, like this one from the State of New York’s Emergency Management Agency: 

“WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 PM EST MONDAY FOR MULTIPLE COUNTIES…A WINTER STORM WARNING MEANS SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW… SLEET…AND ICE ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. STRONG WINDS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE. THIS WILL MAKE TRAVEL VERY HAZARDOUS OR IMPOSSIBLE. STAY TUNED TO NOAA ALL HAZARDS WEATHER RADIO OR VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WEATHER.GOV/NYC FOR FURTHER DETAILS AND UPDATES.”

As has been discussed on this blog, governmental authorities at all levels are increasingly using e-mail and text alerts to help inform and prepare the public for emergencies. I thought this would be a chance to remind anyone interested in signing up to get these messages to do so by checking their state and local emergency responder web sites.

The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) is a leader among local government entities in this area. It offers subscribers with interesting information about emergency situations in Los Angeles and the Department’s efforts in a timely manner. One example is an email alert I received last week:

From: lafdlistmaster@lacity.org
Subject: [LAFD ALERT] HAZ MAT 2/21/2009
Date: February 21, 2009 6:28:35 PM EST
To: lafdlistmaster@lacity.org

*HAZ MAT* 5472 S. Crenshaw Bl.; MAP 673-F5; FS 66; Reports of box with white powder to rear of post office. No reports of inj or sickness. NFD.; Ch:7,12 @2:58 PM 

Fourteen minutes later, a follow-up email indicated it wasn’t as serious as first appeared: 

From: lafdlistmaster@lacity.org
Subject: [LAFD ALERT] HAZ MAT 2/21/2009
Date: February 21, 2009 6:43:42 PM EST
To: lafdlistmaster@lacity.org

*UPDATE: 5472 S. Crenshaw Bl.* Situation static. Incident being down graded. No reports of inj or sickness. 

I get similar notification whenever LAFD responds to an incident whether it be a fire, a traffic accident (”Auto vs. Pedestrian”), “Seismic Activity,” or a “Haz Mat” situation. Because I am researching this topic of citizen preparedness, I have signed up for a number of these alerts from around the nation even if they don’t have practical relevance to me (ie. living 2500 miles away from Los Angeles). It is fascinating to see these develop throughout the country as governments experiment with new communications technology. If you live in Los Angeles or are interested in the Fire Department’s alerts:

http://groups.google.com/group/LAFD_ALERT

Here in New York, the State issues emergency email and text messages, including the ones I received this weekend about the snow, under the NYAlert program. John Gibb, Head of New York’s Emergency Management office, told me in Albany that in the first month of operation one million of possible 19 million users signed up. To me, that underscores the significant public interest in receiving this type of information. At present, most of these systems are in their infancy but the potential is huge. You can sign up for NYAlert at:

www.nyalert.gov/

The City of New York launched an alert system, NotifyNYC, in four pilot communities and will be expanding it soon.

http://www.nyc.gov/html/notifynyc/html/home/home.shtml

The transportation area is also where these public alerts are increasing being employed productively. Many state and local highway systems offer email or text information regarding traffic and construction. Mass transit authorities are also increasingly using these alerts. The Washington Metro system, for example, offers information on delayed trains and buses among other incidents. 

http://www.wmata.com/about_metro/news/PressReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=2242

If you are interested in signing up for these emergency alerts in your area, check the emergency management websites of your local and state governments.

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Tags: Preparedness 2.0

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