The surveys are actually part of academic research being done by City of Dallas Emergency Management Specialist Raymond Rivas, a 4th year student in the Executive Fire Officer Program at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, MD. Part of the program requires that after each class you must write an Applied Research Paper pertaining to an issue that affects your jurisdiction.

The results will be interesting in large part, because the City of Dallas OEM’s social media presence is still in its infancy so officials are probably going to learn a lot. If you want to participate in the seven-question citizen survey (and it is open to anyone), click here (deadline is October 1).

One of the great tragedies and surprises for the public in the aftermath of the September 11th World Trade Center attacks was learning that New York City first responders could not communicate on their radios during the rescue effort. The 9/11 Commission report said dealing with that problem should be a top priority.

Well, in an interesting article in the New York Times earlier this month by Edward Hyatt, “9 Years After 9/11, Public Safety Radio Not Ready,” indicates that almost a decade later the issue still exists. Hyatt writes:

The problem, highlighted in the 9/11 Commission Report, was seen again in 2005 after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Public safety officers from different jurisdictions arrived at the scene of those disasters only to find that, unable to communicate with each other by radio, they had to resort to running handwritten notes between command centers.

Despite $7 billion in federal grants and other spending over the last seven years to improve the ability of public safety departments to talk to one another, most experts in such communications say that it will be years, if ever, before a single nationwide public safety radio system becomes a reality.

I would think a lot of readers must have been shocked to read that the connectivity issue remains. I am not enough of a technical expert to determine how reasonable this situation is. But this is type of unsolved problem that can really severely damage the government’s homeland security credibility, particularly if it is not explained to the public why it has not been dealt with (and may never be). I would hope that the officials at all levels would speak more about the lack of communications issue and not wait for the press to bring it up. If there is another situation like 9/11 and there are similar problems, it will be very difficult for the public to accept after all the discussions and hand-wringing about the issue.

But this question of government credibility should be viewed even broader, particularly in the area of communications. There is a lot of confusion among the public and in fact the government about how officials would communicate with its citizens and vice versa in a crisis. In fact, officials should be conducting an ongoing dialogue with the public on communications in general (ie. warning systems, IPAWS, reverse 9/11) which are evolving but are not currently up to speed.

But this ‘more is more’ approach to information is useful across the board when it comes to establishing and maintaining government credibility during and after a major crisis, particularly a terrorist attack. The time to talk about ‘dirty bombs’ and ’shelter in place’ is not after the incident but before. So, my strong hope is that government officials at the national, state and local levels are more forthcoming about the challenging issues they are dealing with so the public is not surprised to hear that problems they thought were being addressed have not been. Americans will be far more understanding if they are let into the ongoing discussion, and importantly their government will have more credibility with them.

I hope and trust that the bill will pass. I am particularly supportive of the legislation as it addresses the health needs of both volunteers and the general public impacted through their work in the 9/11 response. (Further, a number of the victims are suffering with Leukemia likely a result of the aftermath.)

In supporting the bill, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg underscored the reasons I think it is important to help this group of Americans:

“It’s time that the country stood up to do the right thing,” he said. “There are people who rushed into what started as a rescue and wound up to be a recovery mission. They put their lives on the line. They are suffering greatly,” he said.

“Supposing there’s another disaster. You don’t want people sitting back and saying, ‘I’m afraid to go in and save somebody’s life, because when it comes to my life, the public’s not going to be behind me,’” he continued. “That will be my message to both the parties.”

Tornadoes are clearly not typical here in the Big Apple — though we had a similar if less serious incident with them earlier in the summer. But it does raise the question how much new preparedness attention should this hazard receive from the government, public and media going forward. I think there are four things (below) that can be done, which will improve citizen awareness and readiness without making too much of a big deal out of what will likely continue to be the exception rather than the rule here.

On Thursday afternoon, I happened to be in the hospital when I received this text alert from NotifyNYC:

Alert issued 9/16/10 at 5:35 PM. The National Weather Service has issued a Tornado Warning until 6:00 PM in Staten Island and Brooklyn. Immediately go indoors and/or to the lowest floor of your building for shelter. Stay away from windows.

Similar to the previous incident earlier in the summer, there had not much media warning about the possibility of major weather though the forecast was inclement. As I wrote earlier (below), those emergency instructions in the text message may be familiar to those in the Midwest but not in New York. In fact, my guess is that most New Yorkers who received this notification followed instructions to move to their lowest floor or stay away from windows in large part because we’re not used to doing so.

Also, though the message was being sent out through text/e-mail only a minority of City residents (approximately 50,000) are subscribed to NotifyNYC, and not all traditional news outlets were distributing that same message. It’s a real challenge for the Office of Emergency Management: you don’t want spend too much time warning New Yorkers about a rare threat, and yet when it is dangerous when it does come (and you may not have much time to get the word out.)

So, from this situation and the previous incident, I would have four recommendations:

* put a little more public information/attention on tornado, twisters, strong winds without making too much of a big deal of it (integrate it into other related shelter-in-place/evacuation instructions);

* use this experience to emphasize to New Yorkers that to have the most up to date emergency information for you, your family and your workplace, sign up for e-mail/text warnings from NotifyNYC;

* government officials should work closer with the news media to make sure the communications messages are aligned and robust, particularly when surprise events occur; and

* maybe some limited practice or drilling — integrated into fire safety, shelter-in-place/evacuation — would be useful.

Tornado damage in Brooklyn (Photo: C. Voegel, The Gothamist)

Below is my case study/post from earlier in the summer, which comes to most of the same conclusions:

On Friday evening at 8:19 PM, I received the following notification (via both text and e-mail) from New York City’s NotifyNYC alert system:

“Alert issued 7/23/10 at 8:20 PM. The National Weather Service has issued a Tornado Warning until 9:00 PM for Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and the Bronx. Immediately go indoors and/or to the lowest floor of your building for shelter. Stay away from windows.”

Though thunderstorms had been predicted, a tornado warning — along with the urgent and specific instructions — was a bit of a surprise. I am sure I was not the only New York apartment dweller receiving a NotifyNYC alert that was a little perplexed what to do. Should we all actually be going to the lobby of our buildings? Should we be warning our neighbors (who aren’t signed up for the City’s alerts) to do so as well?

I happened to be watching television — “Friday Night Lights,” appropriately it turned out, as thunder was flashing through the Gotham sky. The local affiliate, WNBC-TV, cut into the show to announce the tornado warning. The meteorologist did not recommend any of the preventive actions mentioned in the NotifyNYC alert, though a scroll on the screen was suggesting that the safest place to be in a tornado was a basement, closet or hallway.

It was an example of how e-mail/text alerts can effectively relay immediate information directly to citizens no matter where they are. (And that people should be signing up for these free notifications.) But only a relatively small percentage of New Yorkers are enrolled (approximately 50,000 subscribers) so Friday night there was an information gap between those who receive the alerts and those who get their emergency information from the news media.

‘Friday night lights’ over Manhattan but no tornado (photo by Richard Caplan/WNBC)

Friday evening when the National Weather Service issued the tornado alert, the City’s Office of Emergency Management (NYC-OEM) faced an interesting (and new) communications policy question: should it send out the information (and the safety instructions) in a limited alert format to subscribers, which were going to come as an out of the blue surprise to us? (Tornado response may be second nature in the Midwest but not in Manhattan.). It would also mean that subscribers were going to know more than about it than the rest of the public.

I think they made the right decision to distribute the alert. However, the City also needs to make sure that whatever emergency information it is sending out through the e-mail/text NotifyNYC system that the same message is being communicated through the news media, which is still the main information medium for most of the public. Friday night, the messaging was not totally aligned.

It turned out that a tornado did not end up touching down in the Big Apple Friday night. But I thought this was an interesting case study of how government is disseminatjng emergency news to the public with its new tools. In fact, I would recommend the City’s OEM highlight this example publicly as a reason why more people should sign up for these alerts so they have the most updated information in a potential crisis situation.

Exploring the Effectiveness of Transit Security Awareness Campaigns in the San Francisco Bay Area finds: ”none of the five agencies analyzed for this study measures the effectiveness of their campaigns. Whereas they all have a similar goal—to increase passenger awareness about security issues—little evidence therefore exists confirming whether they are achieving this goal.”

But also according to the report: “A positive finding of this research is the consistency with which Bay Area transit organizations address the need for passenger awareness as part of their overall security program.”

It is an issue that I have brought up on the blog previously. While the awareness of these “See Something, Say Something” campaigns are up, I have yet to see real data that indicates how well they are actually working — and could be improved. This study reinforces my inclination and the need for study and specific instructions.

The report offers some suggestions on authorities can better establish metrics for determining success for the awareness campaigns, including surveying customers. Thanks to Homeland Security Digital Library where I saw this study originally.

The Obama Administration has said that public readiness is a priority and has taken steps to strengthen the involvement of Americans in their own homeland security. However, officials acknowledge that there is still a ways to go. I present these proposals to help move forward citizen preparedness on a local, state and national level. I hope these suggestions can be a useful addition to the policy discussion and have submitted it to the Federal Preparedness Task Force. As always, I welcome your feedback:

1) CREATE CITIZEN PREPAREDNESS TASK FORCE — The lack of progress to date on public readiness and engagement underscores the need to develop new ways of approaching the issue. DHS Secretary Napolitano should create a Citizen Preparedness Outreach Task Force to assess the current state of public readiness and work on developing new approaches. At present, there is no clear social education analog to civilian emergency preparedness that can be easily pulled off the shelf so it will take some work to develop an effective program. In fact, the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism in its final report recommended the Administration make citizen engagement a priority. But Chairman Bob Graham told me that the ‘WMD Commission’ did not did not find anything suitable it could recommend, and that something new has to be developed.

2) BETTER DEFINE WHAT IT MEANS TO BE “PREPARED” “READY” AND/OR “RESILIENT” — An American Red Cross survey indicated that 93% of Americans are not prepared for disasters. The truth is that no one can be fully prepared, but there is a need to offer the public a clearer definition — including a minimum level — of preparedness. That might include creating a family communications plan and storing tangible supplies but also knowing more about potential threats that every American should know. That doesn’t mean overwhelming people with too much information, but making sure they are at least familiar with some basics. (For example, the first time citizens hear about a ‘dirty bomb’ from government officials should not be in the moments after one has been exploded.) In addition to the content questions, there is also a word meaning issue to deal with as well. The Obama Administration has been emphasizing the concept of societal resilience. Should emergency management officials be talking about citizen resilience in their communities rather than preparedness or readiness?

3) SUPPORT & REPORT ON STATE/LOCAL PREPAREDNESS EFFORTS — Provide adequate seed money for state and local government to bolster civilian preparedness programs and link the grants to performance. Encourage authorities to report publicly on their level of citizen preparedness and create metrics for better measuring civilian readiness. Find interested governors to take on leadership roles and create pilot models in their states. There is a need to employ both “bottom/up” and “top/down” approaches to disaster preparedness combining state, local and community leadership and citizen involvement with federal commitment and focus. Ensure that government authorities can competently respond to disasters but also more strongly emphasize the need for the public and local communities to be prepared and self-reliant, particularly in the first 72 hours after a disaster.

4) HIGHLIGHT & SPREAD MODELS FROM AROUND U.S. & OTHER COUNTRIES — There is a need to help promote and implement best practices from communities around the U.S. and draw, where applicable, particularly from British and Israeli experiences. One model may be the United Kingdom’s National Risk Register, which sets out publicly the government’s assessment of the likelihood and potential impact of a range of different public health, natural and terrorist risks. It is designed to increase awareness of the kinds of risks the UK faces, and encourage individuals and organizations to think about their own preparedness. The Register also includes details of what the Government and first responders are doing to prepare for those emergencies and the role of citizens in those plans

5) USE ‘CARROTS’ TO CHANGE PUBLIC BEHAVIOR – Provide a tax write-off for citizens to buy preparedness-related products as a way to promote participation and to signal governmental commitment. Encourage states to create tax-free periods as is being done in Virginia and Louisiana (and has been introduced in the New York legislature). Also, consider targeting assistance to citizens who cannot afford to prepare. The fact is that when we really want to change social behavior as a nation we do it through the carrot or the stick. The carrot is the preferable tool for this issue, but it needs to be used. And, thus far, incentives (and vegetables) have largely been missing from the preparedness effort, which helps explain the lack of progress. Similarly, preparedness disincentives in the law should be removed (ie. in some places, homeowners who retrofit their homes face higher tax assessments.)

6) BRING IN BUSINESS TO DEVELOP INTEGRATED ‘WIN-WIN-WIN-WIN’ PUBLIC PREPAREDNESS MARKETING CAMPAIGNS– Design and roll out a full service preparedness marketing campaign with help from the private and non-profit sectors. Galvanize business to take on disaster preparedness in the same way they have with disaster response, most notably in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina (ie. big box stores, packaged goods manufacturers, bottled water companies, wireless industry). Work with companies in preparedness-related businesses to offer major discounts tied to citizens taking actual readiness steps recommended by Ready.Gov and local emergency management offices.

For example, individuals and families come into ‘big box’ stores with emergency communications plans (or fill them out in the store) and in return they would receive a significant discount on supplies or free products (ie. if you purchase a case of bottled water, you would get your emergency supply thrown in for free). And if a customer signed up to volunteer for CERT or the Red Cross Disaster Services, they would get a bigger discount. Mobile phone retail stores would be excellent settings for preparedness events/trainings to help people register for government emergency text/e-mail alerts. I’d also like to see an event/photo-op with kids teaching their parents about texting and its role in an emergency. Here again, the companies would offer customers extra free text/phone minutes for completing the preparedness step.

7) DON’T BE AFRAID TO TELL THE CHILDREN — Put more emphasis on educating young people on preparedness by piggybacking on other related school-based social education efforts, most prominently fire safety. The challenge is the both the decentralization of the nation’s education system and the already high curricula demands on teachers. Yet, an effective fire education program was implemented in the schools beginning in the 1970’s, and there would seem to be a perfect fit to integrate a preparedness module into that existing program. The federal government should work with state and local officials as well as fire and education officials to determine how best to accomplish that objective.

FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate recently suggested expanding the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program for young people. I believe that a decision to expand CERT-type training in the schools would be welcomed on a bipartisan basis.There should be more public briefings on how personal tech would be helpful in an emergency, before the emergency (including how Twitter, Facebook and one’s smart phone can be invaluable). Further, every governmental preparedness web site should add a cell phone and an extra battery (or other power source) to the basic components of their recommended disaster supply kit.  Many private companies are working on applications for citizen emergency communications. Those business efforts need to be integrated with official alerts (ie. the new iteration of the Emergency Alert System) and unofficial citizen-based social media (as well as the news media). Both the content and distribution channels of emergency communications are changing and new models need to be developed.

8 EMBRACE AND ACCELERATE PREPAREDNESS 2.0 – There is a need to better inform the public on the potential of 21st century personal technology to prepare for and respond to 21st century emergencies. We must make Americans more aware of the capabilities of the technology at their fingertips (ie. wireless devices, social media sites) in advance and integrate it into disaster planning and response. The public’s new ability to access and distribute information offers both an opportunity and a challenge to government authorities.

There should be more public briefings on how personal tech would be helpful in a crisis, before the crisis (including how Twitter, Facebook and one’s smart phone can be invaluable). Further, every governmental preparedness web site should add a cell phone and an extra battery (or other power source) to the basic components of their recommended disaster supply kit. Many private companies are working on content and distribution applications for citizen emergency communications. Those business efforts can complement official efforts (ie. the new iteration of the Emergency Alert System) and unofficial citizen-based social media (and well as the news media). One hugely promising initiative is CrisisCommons which over the past year has created groups of volunteers throughout the world to bring technology to bear on disaster response issues.

9) FIND POLITICAL, CELEBRITY PREPAREDNESS SPOKESPEOPLE – During the time that I have covered the topic of citizen emergency preparedness, one of the most surprising things I’ve found is that there is no major elected official who has taken the lead on the issue. It’s surprising for a number of reasons: natural disasters and terrorism dominate the headlines and will continue to for the foreseeable future; citizen preparedness is pretty much an unassailable, bipartisan, patriotic and community-building topic; and even the smallest interest in Washington has at least one political champion (but not public preparedness). And, with much to do, there is a great opportunity to have a positive policy and political impact. To some in the readiness community, the absence of star power on the issue has been one reason for the lack of public attention. Though celebrities have been eager to participate in fundraising efforts after catastrophes like the Haiti effort), there is no big star who is singularly identified as a spokesperson for emergency preparedness.

10) GIVE THE PUBLIC MORE INFO SO THEY CAN BETTER PREPARE & PARTICIPATE – There is a need to better inform the public when it comes to disaster preparedness so they can not only ready themselves and their families but also be part of the policy debate. Let me mention two areas briefly:

a) Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD): In its report, the WMD Commission argues that the incoming Administration should make an effort to inform and engage the public on the subject of WMD’s. I agree. And, I suggest officials consider starting that process by defining (or redefining) what a WMD actually is. At present, it is most common to define a WMD for the public as a chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (or “CBRN”) weapon.

The Commission report, however, focuses primarily on the dangers of biological and nuclear terrorism, both of which could be absolutely catastrophic. By contrast, a chemical or radiological (better known as a ‘dirty bomb’) weapon could be very serious but would likely not cause as much lasting damage. In fact, both a chemical and radiological attack would likely be a one-shot event seriously impacting those directly near the event, closer in result to a ‘traditional’ terrorist bombing. A nuclear bomb or biological incident, however, could have wide and long-lasting ‘mass destruction’ impact to humans, property and the society itself. We don’t want the public — and the nation as a whole — to overreact to some threats and underreact to others.

b) Risk: I think it may be one of the most important homeland security subjects for both the government and the public, because it highlights some of the tradeoffs involved in determining how to allocate the nation’s security resources and the role of risk management in making those decisions. This is a debate which should include the public. Right now, Americans aren’t engaged in the discussion over the security, financial, logistical and time tradeoffs involved in our own homeland security.

We need to introduce risk management into homeland security which would lead us to ask and answer important questions: What improves our security and resiliency? And what can be done at a reasonable social and financial cost? Those answers should come not only from policymakers but with the guidance of the public itself.

The public should be asked: How much risk do you want to pay for? How much inconvenience do you want to deal with? These are dilemmas we deal with everyday in our lives; we need to bring that same approach to homeland security and disaster preparedness. FEMA’s Fugate has since his days in Florida made the point that natural hazards turn into natural disasters because of man-made decisions on development, including ubiquitous golf courses: “You can tee off in Tallahassee and play through to Pensacola,” he likes to say.  ”Unless the public understands we need to change where we develop and live, it won’t matter.” It is up to elected officials to present those choices, including building codes, levies and insurance incentives.

11) ‘SEE AND SAY’ SOMETHING MORE – Build upon the initial success of ‘See Something, Say Something’ -type citizen information campaigns by providing the public with more specific guidance on how to assist law enforcement and, without giving away sources and methods, offering more feedback on the information they have provided. Law enforcement officials are concerned about societal complacency nine years since 9/11, but have not determined how to communicate to the public a more candid – yet calm and balanced – picture of the threat and how they can best help. The Department of Homeland Security is expanding “See Something, Say Something” nationally, which is a positive development. However, there is still a need to better explain to citizens their role, particularly at a local level. One important question is how much of what new information and training given to law enforcement about terrorism prevention should also be provided to the public.

12) MEDIA SHOULD COVER PREPAREDNESS AS WELL AS DISASTERS – While the press does wall-to-wall coverage on natural disasters and has covered practically every aspect of terrorism story closely, it has largely overlooked advance public preparedness. By contrast, during the Cold War, magazines ranging from Life to Modern Farmer dedicated entire issues to civilian readiness. Obviously, the press’ role is not to serve as a publicity arm of the government, but it is a topic that deserves more attention. And without more media coverage, it will be difficult to break through to the public. One great example of the press as a unique asset is the list of preparedness tips and lessons learned from the disaster survivors that was collected by the New Orleans Times-Picayune.

13) GOVERNMENT PREPAREDNESS OUTREACH NEEDS TO BE FAR MORE INTERACTIVE — Right now, if a member of the public has a question about the preparedness process, there is nowhere to go. And, as someone who does a lot of public outreach on street fairs, radio or in community meetings I hear a lot of questions from average citizens about emergency readiness — ie. Shouldn’t buildings have mandatory emergency drills? Shouldn’t everyone have a solar charger in your ‘go-bag’ to be able recharge a cellphone or radio? Shouldn’t you have an evacuation family meeting spot outside of the City in case there is major disaster? In case of an emergency, where should we go for information? The emergency management community on a national, state and local level must overhaul its public information operations to be able to address those questions directly and lead the public through what can be a challenging process to undertake.

14) ‘DO ASK, DO TELL’: MAKE “PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY” MORE CENTRAL TO PREPAREDNESS MESSAGING — Instead of telling people to prepare because it is a responsibility (you need to do this), government has used a softer ask when it comes to trying to get the public to prepare. To me, the it is time to try to do more “telling” and less “asking”. I don’t believe the government should be afraid to explicitly tell the public that each of us can either hinder or help relief efforts by what they decide to do before and during a disaster. And, that it’s up to each of us to choose.

If indeed preparing for disasters is a responsibility of citizenship (which I think it should be), then it should been positioned that way. PSA’s saying that people are imperiling the lives of first responders and their fellow citizens, particularly the vulnerable (ie. the elderly, disabled) not to mention your own family might be treated with a little more urgency. Another potentially useful messaging approach was suggested to me by former Miss Utah Jill Shepherd who used citizen preparedness as her pageant platform. It can (and should) be included in the preparedness pitch that readying yourself and your family for disaster at home is a way civilians can contribute to the nation’s resilience and complement the work and sacrifice of those serving in the military. Preparedness may be the most important contribution most citizens can make to their nation’s security. Not only will civilians likely be the first on the scene of a major emergency, but the nation’s response will only be as strong as the readiness of the weakest link. We have entered the ‘pro-am’ preparedness era where the government needs to hand off some responsibility and the public needs to take it.

15) INTEGRATE EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS INTO OTHER COMMUNITY ISSUES — Emergency preparedness is an important issue, particularly during crises. However, it has a better chance of becoming ingrained into American society if it is viewed as part of other preparedness topics that are a more central part of Americans daily life, including public health (immunization), security (Neighborhood Watch), infrastructure and climate change, part and parcel of just being ready for any situation.

For example, the global warming campaign can and should be a model for civilian emergency preparedness in a variety of ways. The two efforts are complementary and should be linked closer together in the public’s mind — and actions. In both, society is being asked to mobilize in order to avert or mitigate potential disasters, and both are part of strengthening the nation’s general national resilience. Yes, global warming has some skeptics, but so does emergency preparedness — ironically they are often not the same people which may conveniently add to its complementary synergy.

16) EXPAND EMERGENCY DRILLING OPPORTUNITIES TO PUBLIC –Increase chances for citizens to participate in disaster drills, which would help people focus on the issue and work through the key questions everyone should ask before a disaster (ie. How will you get information and communicate with your family? Do you know the emergency plan of your children’s school?). Most every top homeland security/emergency management official I have interviewed has told me that broader public disaster exercises would be helpful in a number of ways, but there has not been a concerted effort to expand drilling opportunities to the public.

17) DETERMINE BEST USE OF CIVILIAN DISASTER VOLUNTEERS – Craig Fugate said recently that FEMA would be reevaluating the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). I think that as part of that review government and non profit officials should be looking at how best to recruit and deploy disaster volunteers. Post-9/11 and Katrina — as well as with international incidents such as Haiti — there has been great interest among the public to be involved in crisis response. A key question is how that asset should be managed. Should it be the government? The Red Cross? Other non-profits and faith-based institutions? Business? Or a combination of the four? One hugely promising initiative is CrisisCommons which over the past year has created groups of volunteers throughout the world to bring technology to bear on disaster response issues.

Fugate said that FEMA is considering major changes in the CERT program, including creating a shorter training course which could be offered to more Americans and significantly expanding training for schools and other youth groups in order to better imbed preparedness into society for the long-term. I’ve always felt that CERT training is less about the skills you learn and more about awareness about the community and the various emergency authorities (and identifying citizen crisis organizers in advance). To me, CERT is just basic citizenship training for the 21st Century, which I think every American should get a chance to receive. I might suggest that the smaller reduced curriculum be called something along the lines of “Citizen Resilience Training”.

18) ESTABLISH AN OFFICIAL PREPAREDNESS DAY — Create a National Preparedness Day to focus public attention before disasters, including briefing citizens, conducting drills, and filling emergency kits. A helpful model is Japan’s Disaster Prevention Day held on September 1st, the anniversary of the catastrophic 1923 Tokyo earthquake. Earlier this month, 670,000 Japanese participated in emergency drills around the country. China, since its 8.0-magnitude 2008 Sichuan Province earthquake, has also held two national disaster prevention days with nationwide drills.

If we as a nation feel it is really important for the public to develop emergency plans, it would be far more effective if everyone was doing that at the same time — rather than asking individuals to do it on their own. This ‘preparedness day’ would also be the time that we all asked the questions about planning then practiced and updated those plans. It would be useful for both responders and the public. I might suggest September 11th be made the U.S.’s official Day. It would seem to be appropriate to honor the memories of those who died by action, particularly something aimed at making sure America is never as unprepared again.

19) CREATE CITIZEN PREPAREDNESS OFFICE – Establishing a national citizen preparedness/resilience office to highlight and help coordinate efforts around the U.S. and ensure citizen preparedness remains a priority. Right now, there is not an identifiable place in the federal government that has responsibility for coordinating the public’s role in preparedness. Work with American Red Cross to create an effective advocate for the general public on emergency preparedness in the same way disabled and pet groups have done for the disaster needs of their communities over the past several years.

20) BUNDLE CITIZEN PREPAREDNESS PROPOSALS TOGETHER INTO “CITIZEN PREPAREDNESS INITIATIVE” – For too long, well meaning public preparedness efforts have gotten lost or have been ignored by the public. That’s in large part because they have not been packaged and presented as being specifically directed to citizens. But if the government would assemble these small disparate proposals listed above into an overall citizen preparedness package it would have a better chance of getting attention and gaining some traction. Ultimately, making inroads on citizen preparedness is less a matter of money than it is of focus and attention.

Under the New York bill, citizens would be able to buy emergency supplies without paying state sales tax between September 1st-11th and purchase pre-made “Go-Bags” tax free throughout the month. The bill would also declare September as “Emergency Preparedness Month” in New York. It was originally introduced by New York State Assemblyman Jonathan L. Bing as Bill A00783.

I had met with Assemblyman Bing’s staff to discuss emergency preparedness in his Manhattan district (where I live) as well as the State as a whole. I recommended that a tax free holiday on emergency supplies, which is being tried successfully by a couple states to increase public interest and action on preparedness, would be good for the Empire State. As Bing has long been involved in the issues of emergency preparedness and response, he thought a tax free period could have a significant impact on citizen preparedness, and decided to introduce legislation.

According to the proposed legislation, the tax-free period for supplies would run from September 1-September 11 commemorating the time between the anniversaries between Hurricane Katrina and 9/11. “Go-Bags” would be exempt all month but only if they met certain minimum requirements and were sold for $75 or less. Some of the individual emergency items would have similar price restrictions.

Storing supplies are just one step in becoming prepared, but getting people to take that initial step is crucial. In addition, a special tax holiday makes it more likely a) private businesses will add their marketing expertise and capacity to the preparedness effort and b) the media will provide coverage of the issue. Officials in Virginia and Florida, both of which recently implemented this idea, say results have been positive.

The bill has been introduced in the Assembly with twenty other sponsors as well as in the Senate. New Yorkers should contact your local legislators to encourage them to support the legislation. Those in other states should ask their elected officials to consider the idea.

The City Council President, Deputy Mayor, the commissioners of OEM, Fire, Health Department and Immigrant Affairs all give their quick answers in the 30 second spot.

NYC-OEM/Ad Council PSA

I like the idea of involving public officials and publicizing their own preparedness process. I wrote earlier this summer there is a need for high profile people both in and out of the emergency management field to discuss publicly their own family readiness efforts as a model for the rest of the community. In this PSA, each interviewee only gets a quick one sentence answer. I would like to see another PSA where they go into more detail about their emergency plans.

To me, one of the biggest gaps in citizen preparedness communications is the lack of personalization and humanization. The messaging is far too institutional, and the result is that people largely do not respond. Officials ask average citizens to create emergency plans and kits, research threats and do practice run-throughs, but they never show them how (and if) they do it for themselves.

As a result, they do not have a full understanding of the challenges for the public in taking what seem to be simple preparedness steps but are not particularly easy for laypeople — there are always many questions and hidden obstacles for civilians going through the preparedness process. But those are almost never addressed in a personal way by those in authority, which is a major reason why the messages do not largely get through to the public. While officials are always asking the public “what’s your plan?” or “what’s in your kit?” but rarely tell us what’s in their plan or their kit.

Now, it is true that public officials are not going react like regular citizens in a disaster but instead will be likely be working managing the situation. So, they may not have to plan for themselves in the same way an average person would. However, most have families who are going to prepare and respond along with the rest of the public. The fact is that everyofficial is also a citizen; it would be helpful for other citizens if officials show that perspective more, and it would be similarly useful for leaders to take that point of view more in their preparedness planning and communications.

The Empire State Building lit in Ready New York Yellow tonight.

According to the press release:

Located on OEM’s Facebook page, the new interactive web mapping application allows New Yorkers to select a meeting place from thousands of locations in the metropolitan area in advance of an emergency. Users can search for meeting places closest to their home or office addresses, such as schools, museums, libraries, senior centers, courthouses, post offices, or police or fire stations.

Other options include choosing a meeting place between two addresses or choosing your own meeting place. After the meeting place is chosen, it can be shared via e-mail with those users who want to meet at the designated point in an emergency. Users will also be able to share their meeting place via text message in the coming months.

Screenshot of New York City Office of Emergency Management/Ad Council Facebook “My Meeting Place” Application.

Each day in September, CRESA is going to post an activity-based challenge which will take everyone who plays one step closer towards being more resilient as a community and ready to face the next crisis.

Anyone can play. In fact, we encourage EVERYONE to play along in this fun challenge. Even if you don’t complete all 30 days of challenges, by simply doing some of these activities, you may find yourself thinking about emergencies differently.

The Day 1 activity, posted this morning, is very relevant to those across the U.S. from CRESA on the East Coast who are being asked to monitor possible local evacuation orders as a result of Hurricane Earl.

DAY 1 ACTIVITY: Identify the name of your local Emergency Management Agency and how you would receive information from them during emergencies.

To enter:

PROOF OF COMPLETION: There are 3 ways that you can complete this task:  leave a comment with your answer in it on our blog, put your answer on our Facebook Fan Page or provide the answer on Twitter (please include @CRESA or hashtag #30days30ways in any tweets).

You do not have to complete the task on the day in which it is initially assigned; however, all proofs must be turned in by 9/30/10.

What Will I Win?

Besides the great self-actualization that you are prepared (or not, as the case may be), we have decided to provide some additional incentive beyond bragging rights for being the first 30 Days, 30 Ways winner. This includes:

Personal Mention in a media release about the contest results (you may choose to remain anonymous if you wish).

Invitation to a CRESA Emergency Management Staff Meeting to discuss your experience in this contest and to provide feedback on this contest. (If the winner does not live locally, we will set up a teleconference so that we can chat together.)

2011 Preparedness Calendar

“Behind the Scenes” Tour of the Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency (CRESA) which includes 9-1-1 and Emergency Management.

The person (or people, in the event of a tie) who completes the most challenges will be identified as the winner of this contest. We challenge you to join us in this amazing and fun quest to be better prepared together.

I look forward to following the contest through the month.

Brian and his fellow LAFD public information officers manage an unparalleled social media operation in the government emergency field, including a blog about to hit three million visits and a Flickr site with seven million views. The Department recently split its Twitter account in two: @LAFD, which is reserved for fire and accident reports, and @LAFDTalk, which people can use to ask questions about fire extinguishers or whatever else fire-related is on their minds. Brian gave a terrific presentation at the Red Cross event about his work that can be found on C-SPAN’s website.

In the two-and-a-half minute video below, I asked Humphrey what he would tell other emergency responder agencies, which have not yet embraced social media in their work, ”I encourage agencies and people to jump in the water. That doesn’t mean enter head first. But get in the pool.” He urges a patient approach in which officials listen, absorb information initially. But he points out social media is a “force multiplier” for emergency agencies in distributing and gathering information. And he notes: “If it works in Los Angeles, it can work in your town too.”

Humphrey cites an example of social media’s usefulness in the wake of the stampede at Germany’s Love Parade at which 18 people died. He says that in similar types of events, LAFD uses social media to monitor the situation before it gets out of hand. He also urges the public to sign up for their local government text/email alerts, which offer an opportunity to get emergency information even before its delivered by the traditional media.

LAFD Public Information Officer Brian Humphrey discusses the use of social media and personal technology in the emergency services.

The ground is shaking violently. Family heirlooms and knickknacks are flying like projectiles off walls and shelves. Glass is shattering, and the rolling motion seems to go on forever. When the “Big One” strikes, residents could find their homes uninhabitable, and figuring out how to live in the hours, days and weeks after a major disaster will become their No. 1 concern.

The scenario is the focus of a Sept. 11 disaster drill planned for Barron Park residents, who will erect a tent city at Juana Briones Park. It won’t be a neighborhood picnic. People will have to bring their own tents, water and food. Grills won’t be allowed. There will be no electricity for the duration of the event, which runs from 3:30 p.m. till 10 a.m. the next day.

Some surprise incidents, mimicking possible real-life disaster scenarios, are planned to test people’s responses, according to event coordinator Lydia Kou. Dubbed “Quakeville,” the drill is designed to shake people out of their denial.

Quakeville will kick off a series of citywide disaster-preparedness events throughout September and October. Palo Alto Mayor Pat Burt and the Palo Alto/Stanford Citizen Corps Council have declared September as Emergency Preparedness Month citywide….

This is the first year that citizens will be involved in the “Quakeville” drill which may take on even more seriousness after a report this week that revised up the risk of earthquakes along the San Andreas Fault:

Quakeville will put disaster preparedness into the hands of the citizenry, who will be the first on the ground to deal with neighborhood emergencies, Kou said. ”It’s exciting because it involves all citizens. In the past, drills involved emergency volunteers only,” said Kou, who also is co-chair of the Palo Alto Neighborhoods block-preparedness-coordinator program and is a Barron Park Neighborhood Association disaster-prep leader.

Kou said Quakeville will help give residents a sense of what they might encounter, and need, when forced out of their homes and into close contact with many other people. ”Will you need earplugs in case the person sleeping in the tent next to you snores? Will you need hay-fever medicine? How will you entertain yourself and your kids?”

It’s funny that she mentions earplugs, because that is exactly the item I added to my ‘go-bag’ after spending a noisy day in a shelter during a hurricane drill in Brooklyn.

I am also supportive of the decision to undertake the drill on 9/11, which I think should be an official preparedness day in which exercises like the one in Palo Alto would be done throughout the U.S.:

“Sept. 11 is a very appropriate day for people to come together to commemorate friendships and lives lost,” she said, adding that the city is encouraging other neighborhoods to hold block parties on Sept. 11 to build community connections. ”It’s an act of remembrance,” she said…

One area she hopes to resolve is what to do with pets. For the Sept. 11 event, organizers are encouraging people not to bring their animals. But at tent city they’ll look for ways to resolve that concern, she said.

The Palo Alto Office of Emergency Services headquarters

The City of New York’s Office of Emergency Management must be thrilled that the Empire State Building will be lit up in “READY New York Yellow” on the evening of September 2nd, which is the kickoff day for the City’s National Preparedness Month activities.

I’ll be handing out READY New York pamphlets in Columbus Circle that morning as part of my CERT responsibilities. Last year, participants distributed more than 100,000 preparedness guides and 30,000 bottles of hand sanitizer throughout the five boroughs during 2009’s National Preparedness Month Kickoff events.

Hopefully, it will be a clear night and New Yorkers who look up in the sky that night will be reminded to go to the Ready New York website for more information on preparedness.

The Empire State Building lit up in New York Mets’ blue to celebrate the team’s appearance in the World Series. It will be awash in “READY New York Yellow” on the night of September 2nd.

“READY New York Yellow”

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has just begun rolling out a national “If You See Something, Say Something” campaign, and I saw its new advertising posters in many of the cars. I had been at DHS headquarters earlier in the day hearing more about the new launch from officials managing the program. They weren’t sure how extensive distribution has gotten thus far, and my e-mail tip confirmed that the ads were at least up all over my train. Below are a couple of the new posters hot off the presses:

A new “If You See Something, Say Something” poster just going up on Amtrak trains aimed at the public.

The national expansion of New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s “If You See Something, Say Something” campaign is part of DHS’s new effort to support state and local law enforcement, community groups and the public in identifying and mitigating terror threats whose theme is “Homeland security begins with hometown security”.

The new measures are based on recommendations made by the Homeland Security Advisory Council’s (HSAC) “Countering Violent Extremism” Working Group—comprised of chiefs of police, sheriffs, community leaders and homeland security experts—on ways DHS can better support community-based efforts to combat violent extremism in the United States.

Expanding the community and citizen role in homeland security has been encouraged by the blog, and I think it is a terrific development. Most of the new initiatives are directed towards bolstering the work of state and local law enforcement organizations — including a series of regional summits beginning this fall on successful community-oriented policing and other crime reduction programs. But Napolitano also announced some proposals focused directly on the public, most prominently the expansion of “See Something, Say Something”.

In the coming months, DHS will continue to rollout the campaign nationally the U.S. with public education materials, the poster ads and other outreach tools to engage travelers, businesses, community organizations and public and private sector employees to remain vigilant and play an active role in keeping the country safe. The focus on the state, local and public reflects an increased threat coming out of communities from around the U.S., which might not fully hit the national intelligence radar.

Poster for general aviation locations

The campaign posters will begin to become ubiquitous in the transportation sector, including on trains, general aviation sites and soon on buses and subways. It has been developed to be customizable by location. For example, in cities one of the taglines is: ”did you see something suspicious commuting to work or grabbing some lunch” along with a local contact phone number. Officials from many sports facilities and college campuses have also expressed interest in taking advantage of the campaign for their locations.

The new blue “if you SEE something logo SAY something” logo — which is a little softer and less visibly urgent than the original New York executions with yellow background and block black lettering (but now also blue) — was created by a designer at the Transportation Security Administration. If you’ve ’seen’ the new ads yourself, what do you ’say’ about them?

As I’ve discussed before, the LAFD is a pioneer in the use of communications technology including social media to inform and engage the public. I am a subscriber to its text/e-mail breaking news notification system, LAFD_Alert, which provides has provided as much up-to-date information direct to the citizenry as any governmental emergency agency that I am aware of. This can be particularly useful for those in the Los Angeles area in quickly changing situations such as wildfires. Officials can use the alerts and the LAFD blog to disseminate information about fires (or other incidents such as a building explosion in South Los Angeles), and the Department’s response and instructions for the public.

What I wanted to highlight today is more trivial, but I thought was worth a mention. In two of his news alerts Friday, LAFD PIO Erik Scott added some humanity to a communications form that tends to be pretty straightforward and antiseptic. He wrote hopefully about the aftermath of a structure fire in which a one adult male was killed but another was “critically burned but *ALIVE*”.

From: lafdlistmaster@lacity.org

Subject: [LAFD ALERT] Structure Fire 7/30/2010

Date: July 30, 2010 5:09:15 PM EDT

To: LAFDLISTMASTER@LACITY.ORG

*UPDATE: 936 E 59th St* CORRECTION: 2 total victims: 1st patient- Adult male DECEASED due to electrocution. 2nd patient- Adult male critically burned but *ALIVE* [my bold]  in ICU at California hsp & will be tsp to USC hsp. – Erik Scott###

From: lafdlistmaster@lacity.org

In a subsequent text, Scott offered an update adding a small editorial and human comment: “Sadly Both victims have deceased.”

Subject: [LAFD ALERT] Structure Fire 7/30/2010

Date: July 30, 2010 3:01:22 PM EDT

To: LAFDLISTMASTER@LACITY.ORG

*UPDATE: 936 E 59th St* Sadly Both victims have deceased [my bold], 1 from the blast & the other from electrocution. The fire was caused by illegal tampering w/ gas meter. NFD – Erik Scott###

I’m not saying that every governmental emergency alert needs to have that personal touch on each message. However, as the authorities increasingly try to get citizens to subscribe to these useful notification systems it can only be helpful if the messages are sometimes more engaging than usual government communications. Anyway, I will have some more thoughts about personalization in citizen preparedness messaging on Monday.

The LAFD Breaking News alert widget

The Facebook post piqued my curiosity about the FEMA course whose introductory Overview explains:

“has been designed to help the citizens of this nation learn how to protect themselves and their families against all types of hazards…By reading and following the instructions in this guide you and your family can say, Yes, we are ready!”

As this is ostensibly the government’s baseline for judging whether citizens are “ready” for disasters, I thought I would read through the course material. After finishing it, I had two overall reactions:

1) there is a real need to review and refine what government authorities are telling the public about preparedness and what “we are ready” should mean for American citizens.

2) as part of that review process, it would be very useful for top federal (as well as state and local) emergency management officials to hold open forums — maybe using the “Are You Ready” class format somewhat along the lines of the Kansas City Medical Reserve Corps course writ large — in order to solicit questions and input about preparedness from Americans. These types of events would bring new attention to the subject as well as stimulate an important and overdue dialogue integrating the public in helping determine policy about public preparedness.

First, as far as the content of the “Are You Ready? An In-Depth Guide To Citizen Preparedness”, I want to highlight what I think are some significant shortcomings and disconnects. For example, right at the beginning of the course, Chapter 1.1, “Getting Informed,” instructs the public to:

Learn about the hazards that may strike your community, the risks you face from these hazards, and your community’s plans for warning and evacuation. You can obtain this information from your local emergency management office or your local chapter of the American Red Cross…

Ask local authorities about each possible hazard or emergency and use the worksheet that follows to record your findings and suggestions for reducing your family’s risk…

There is a major problem here: the government is putting far too much of the onus on the public — telling citizens it is only their responsibility to ask rather than taking the initiative to inform them if it is that important. The fact is that in many parts of the nation (including here in New York) the average citizen cannot just contact the local emergency management office and get a hazard briefing. Further down in the same chapter, the public is also told to request information that is not fully accessible or available to them:

Ask local authorities about methods used to warn your community…

Ask local authorities about emergency evacuation routes…

Ask local officials the following questions about your community’s disaster/emergency plans. Does my community have a plan? Can I obtain a copy?

The fact is that FEMA is recommending people undertake a time consuming and unfamiliar task that in many cases they actually will not be able to accomplish by themselves. Shouldn’t the government at all levels have more responsibility to take the initiative in communicating this the information to the community rather than wait until individual citizens contact them?

Ok, so how do you begin this discussion? I have an idea that was provoked by seeing the photos from this weekend’s Kansas City class: why not hold open public forums on preparedness? These national seminars would be coordinated with similar events run by state and local emergency managers. This would bring new attention to citizen readiness and provide the public with the opportunity to both ask questions and as importantly offer input. I think FEMA head Craig Fugate would do a terrific job of leading such forums as would a number of state and local officials.

As Tip O’Neill might have said, (almost) all disaster preparedness and response is local. But the federal government does have a significant role in public education, particularly when it comes to terrorism and major disasters. In fact, Homeland Security Janet Napolitano in a speech at Harvard University earlier this year made that point saying that Americans deserve a “clear appraisement” of the terror threats, “because I believe the American people want, and deserve, candor about what we face.” That appraisement still needs to be delivered. National officials also have a megaphone and platform that is necessary to get the issue on the media and political agenda.

Fugate began a review discussion of the government’s recommendations last year when he tweaked the agency’s central readiness preparedness message emphasizing family plans over supply kits. Others in the emergency management community are also increasingly asking out loud some basic questions about citizen preparedness such as ‘what really is prepared?‘ One question after going through the entire 200-page “Are You Ready?” document is whether we’re asking the public to do and know too much — in fact, I would argue that we’re both giving the public too much information but not enough of what they really need to be ready.

Whenever I attend local public events on preparedness, citizens always have specific questions about specific threats, evacuation plans, emergency communications that cannot be answered fully with general preparedness boilerplate. The fact is that government officials have not fully leveled with the public on preparedness, giving them all the information they need to be really prepared. Without having an open, interactive discussion we are not really going to make progress on really ‘getting informed’ or figuring out if “you [and I] are ready?” and what that means. I think a series of preparedness forums at a national and then state and local level would be very helpful as part of that process.

According to its website, Evacuteer.org was launched on June 2, 2009 as an organization of New Orleans citizens committed to helping execute the new City Assisted Evacuation Plan.

If you are interested in volunteering to be an Evacuteer, click here.

The Community Engagement Initiative (CEI) plan lays out specific steps EPA is taking to provide communities with better information and opportunities to understand and influence decisions on environmental cleanups. The purpose of the plan is to present guiding principles, goals and actions to enhance EPA’s relationships with communities from across the country while protecting human health and the environment.

“Transparency, access and public involvement are essential to meaningful and deliberate decision-making at EPA,” said Mathy Stanislaus, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. “Getting a diverse group of citizens – all with their own unique experiences and expertise – to provide their views and expertise to inform the decisions we make helps us better protect Americans where they live, work, play and learn.”

The plan includes activities that will help EPA:

* Improve transparency and upfront collaboration with community stakeholders

* Enhance technical assistance to communities

* Explain the hazards of environmental problems to affected communities

* Connect with communities that have been historically underrepresented in environmental decision-making

Through the initiative, EPA will help interested community members more effectively participate in EPA decision-making processes. The CEI implementation plan also details actions EPA is pursuing to more effectively explain the hazards of environmental problems to affected communities. Implementation of this plan will help EPA conduct timely decisions and actions that are reliably informed by the broad diversity of voices and interests in the communities we serve.

The plan is intended to be a working document and specific actions will be refined with ongoing feedback from communities and other stakeholders. EPA invites public comment on the plan, will frequently evaluate the initiative’s progress and results, and will regularly post this information on the agency’s Web site.

More information on the CEI and to comment on the plan: http://www.epa.gov/oswer/engagementinitiative.

Thanks to the @Steveisready Twitter feed where I saw this story.

Before a storm hits, the Internet-driven sites will allow people to monitor a tropical system’s progress, receive evacuation orders and learn which shelters are open. Unlike television or an Internet homepage, however, the messages are short and usually direct viewers to a link for more information.

After a storm, the social media will be used to alert the public about open stores and gas stations, warn which roads are clogged and estimate how long power might be out. This will be done by official agencies and the users themselves.

Officials say that social media augments conventional news sources, yet reaches some demographics better. It also has a two-way component that traditional media does not:

Most people will continue to rely on traditional news sources, including television, newspapers, radio and Internet weather sites to monitor storms. But those sources won’t necessarily reach those on the go — or younger people who use only social media sites.

“Social media is a very important tool for getting our message to customers who might not otherwise look for our information,” said Christopher Juckins, a meteorologist and technology programmer at the National Hurricane Center in Miami-Dade County….

Broward County emergency management plans to increasingly use Twitter — in addition to television/radio/Internet and print media — to provide storm progress reports, notify residents when shelters are opening and what areas need to evacuate. It would be available on cell phones even if power shuts down and would allow the hearing impaired to receive information, said Judy Sarver, the county’s spokeswoman.

“We need to take advantage of every tool we have to reach the public with these safety messages,” she said. “We have so much information that we need to get out when a storm is coming.”

Mary Blakeney, operations manager for Palm Beach County emergency management, said while the county has a Twitter site, it will rely more on other media to relay important information.

The Twitter site has less than 300 followers, but when a storm threatens, the county needs to reach tens of thousands of coastal residents, said Blakeney.

“It’s really a new arena that a lot of people are starting to utilize,” she said.

The region’s major newspapers, including the Sun Sentinel, The Miami Herald and The Palm Beach Post, all send text messages to subscribers, providing updates on cell phones whenever storms threaten.

The Sun Sentinel plans to also use social media to extend its coverage of damage and other developments, said Christopher Tiedje, the newspaper’s social media coordinator.

“Basically, we’ll be asking our social media audience for updates from their areas,” he said. “Do they have photos of damage, is there ice at the corner store, do you still have power, can you get phone service? That kind of thing.”

SunSentinel.com also offers a sidebar with a list of social media sites that provide tropical storm information here.

Thanks to Glen Gilmore’s Crisis Social Media Twitter feed where I saw this article.

To the editor:

I guess everyone in Scugog Township is prepared for any emergency that may arise.

They must be, because at the end of Emergency Preparedness Week, on Saturday May 8, the No. 1 fire hall in Port Perry was open to everyone to learn about numerous ways to prepare for emergencies, and no one came.

I know my wife and I were not the only ones disappointed with the turnout. Five speakers were lined up to discuss anything and everything needed to prepare for disasters and emergencies of all kinds.

Some of the emergency situations noted in the past that have affected residents of Scugog were H1N1, increasing windstorms and severe summer weather numerous times, resulting in downed trees and other damage as well as the blackout of 2003.

Do you remember what you and your family went through during that blackout? Were you prepared? It could happen again. Will you be ready? Have you ever considered what could happen if flooding were to occur here? Think about broken dams, torrential rain and backed-up storm drains and septics.

At the seminar, tables were set up with giveaway information and supplies. Volunteers were on hand to inform and assist with information and to answer questions. Enbridge set up and prepared hot dogs, hamburgers and pop for visitors.

We want to thank the chief, the mayor and councillors and all the volunteers that were on hand for this event.

Bruno and Darlene Gauweiler Caesarea

Thanks to the Twitter feed of READYColorado for bringing this my attention.

I am excited to have a first person report about the exercise from a participant, James Garrow, the Operations and Logistics Manager of the Bioterrorism and Public Health Preparedness Program of the Division of Disease Control and Emergency Preparedness at the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. Garrow, whose expertise is public health communications, reports that the exercise planners made an significant effort to get a citizens’ point of view in the drill, including the creation of a Community Advisory Panel. He writes:

This was an interesting exercise for a number of reasons. First, to the best of my knowledge, this was the biggest exercise ever done for ESF-10 (Hazardous Materials). Given what’s happening in the Gulf of Mexico right now, that’s simply amazing. Second, this is the first exercise I’ve ever heard of that dealt with the recovery phase. Most planners are so worried (and focused) on the immediate aftermath of a disaster that we never get around to planning what would happen after the sirens were turned off and the media went home. This is unfortunate because, ultimately, the success or failure of rebuilding from a disaster is predicated on actually rebuilding. One need only look at the gaping void in lower Manhattan to understand the infrastructure healing process that’s needed to help us recover.

The last reason I found the exercise interesting is really, I think, the most important. And it may have been included just because it’s standard operating procedure for USEPA, but the exercise planners made a real effort to simulate dealing with the public. And not in a “they’re panicky, lock ‘em up” kind of way. Inclusion of the public, both real and notional, took place in two different ways.

The first, and I would argue most important, was in the inclusion of a real-life Community Advisory Panel, or CAP. The CAP was comprised of 10 community leaders in Philadelphia. Each represented different parts of the city, different ethnicities, different business interests, different communities. They were briefed about the exercise scenario and were encouraged to attend the two scheduled Technical Advisory Panel (TAP) sessions, which were peopled with subject matter experts from the US Coast Guard, the US EPA, the PA DEP, the Phila Health Department, and a number of other experts who would be called upon in just such an emergency to help EPA develop a plan for remediating the affected area.

The TAP was charged with developing choices for how to proceed with cleanup priorities and contaminated waste storage. The CAP was then presented with those very same choices to make sure that the recommended course of action was palatable to the public – to the real public. And, amazingly to us planners, they not only reviewed all of the choices, but actually recommended their own choices based upon their knowledge of the community. By the end of the exercise, there was talk of the CAP members continuing to meet and discuss problems just like this. What an amazing outcome!

Garrow continues:

The final part of the exercise, while not actually involving the public, sought to teach those who would actually be responding how to interact with the public. A two hour “public meeting” was scheduled to give members of “the public” access to the TAP and Incident Commander. “The public” was played by EPA actors, who were mostly comprised of public affairs staff who regularly attend community meetings. They took their experiences at these meetings and asked the types of questions they’d heard asked of them. Sure, some were easy and the actors would let the experts off easy, but some asked impossible questions and some play-acted anger and frustration. Sitting on this “public meeting,” it was easy to see that the experts were quickly learning that standard dispassionate scientific term laden answers would not cut it in real life. Empathy, honesty, very detailed descriptions would be needed to help the public understand what was going on and unfortunately, that’s not practiced nearly enough.

All in all, it was an extremely fun exercise that included a dozen or so agencies from all levels of government, as well as esteemed members of the public, all in pursuit of something to hold onto in the unlikely, yet extremely dangerous scenario that was played. Congratulations and thank you to the USEPA planners. I know that I, as a planner, learned something about the conduct of exercises and how valuable including members of the public can really be. If not for the two elements discussed above, this exercise would have been ho-hum — just like every other full scale exercise I’d attended. The public made it real.

James, thanks for the interesting report.

“As the tax return filing deadline looms (this Thursday, April 15), OEM reminds New Yorkers to make extra copies of their returns. Following a disaster, insurance providers may request up to three years of tax returns to support a claim. Store copies of your tax returns in your Emergency Financial First Aid Kit while finances are still fresh on your mind.”

The Emergency Financial First Aid Kit was created to help the public identify important financial documents and serve as a quick reference guide for critical information. The American Red Cross also has a financial guide for disaster preparedness here.

To sign up for the weekly NYC OEM e-mail tip of the week, click here.

FEMA has scheduled its 2010 “National Level Exercise” (formerly called TOPOFF) — which is designed to test the capabilities of local, state and federal responders to catastrophic events — for Las Vegas in May. The planned scenario is a mock nuclear blast; 10,000 responders are expected to participate in the drill.

However, the Las Vegas Visitors and Convention Authority, backed by the state’s senior senator, Majority Leader Harry Reid, is asking FEMA to postpone the drill, and if not at least change the scenario from a terrorist attack to natural disaster, citing the city’s economic woes.

Reid sent a letter to U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano arguing:

“At a time when Las Vegas is beginning to recover from these economic ills, to simulate a nuclear detonation in the heart of the city would unacceptably harm the Southern Nevadan economy…at this time, economic recovery efforts would be stymied, or reversed entirely, by artificially creating anxiety surrounding tourism and investment in Las Vegas.”

The senator’s web site has this addendum:

“While Reid acknowledges the importance of these training exercises and appreciates FEMA’s recognition of Las Vegas as a high profile target, holding such an event at this time would create unnecessary anxiety and harm efforts to boost tourism and investment in Las Vegas.”

I realize the concern is that the exercise will highlight the fact that Sin City is a top potential terror target. But it probably is, something Reid acknowledges in the letter. I find somewhat farfetched to believe that having a drill there will impact tourist/conventioneer decisionmaking? I covered the TOPOFF 3 drill in 2005 in New Jersey and Connecticut, which also included a weapons of mass destruction simulation. I don’t think that had much of an effect on slot playing at Atlantic City and or Connecticut’s Foxwoods & Mohegan Sun casinos.

The opposition to the disaster drill is a bit ironic as the #1 movie on screens across the U.S. for the past couple weeks has been “2012″ in which the entire Vegas Strip is dramatically destroyed in a…disaster. Do you think audiences are changing their travel plans upon leaving the theater?

THE LAS VEGAS STRIP IN THE CURRENT DISASTER MOVIE “2012″ (ABOVE)

The thing that bothers me most here is not about the exercise itself, but the contention that somehow having a practice drill with a nuclear weapon would scare Americans from traveling to Vegas. It just plays into the narrative (I would say canard) that the public cannot handle any discussion of serious potential terror threats (particularly involving weapons of mass destruction) without becoming scared out of their wits. And as a result, it prevents our leaders from having an open dialogue which might actually improve our ability to respond to a scenario — which has been acknowledged as a possibility by U.S. Presidents of both parties.

One of the major themes of this blog is that there is a need for government officials to raise potentially ’scary’ topics with the populace but do it in a responsible, constructive way  – and that public can deal with that information if it is delivered in a trustworthy manner in the proper context. Conducting a nuclear explosion drill does not mean that officials expect such an incident to happen in Vegas any time soon, but the possibility makes it useful to train for such a catastrophic occurrence — and I believe Americans will comprehend that.

I understand that Senator Reid is just trying to be responsive to his constituents. But is his opposition here really serving Nevadans best interests? An article in the Las Vegas Review-Journal last week indicated that FEMA has already agreed to move the exercise off of the main Vegas Strip to another location in the County. With the Majority Leader up for reelection in 2010, I imagine there may be some armtwisting done on DHS to make further changes, including postponing the drill. But if the FEMA believes the Vegas nuclear exercise is important, I hope the agency ends up making the decision based on preparedness rather than politics.

In her presentation, CDC new media official Ann Aikin underscored the growing importance of cellphones in public health communications. She cited an April 2009 study from the Pew Internet and American Life Project, Mobile Access to Data and Information, that estimated there were 276.3 million cellphone users in the U.S., which is 87% of the population. She noted further that CDC surveys have found that cellphone-only households tend to be more at-risk on healthcare as a percentage than households that also have a landline phone (ie. 19% of cellphone-only households had a flu shot last year versus 36% for the cell and landline group).

This is a particularly interesting point, because there has been some concern expressed by government officials about using mobile devices as a distribution tool. The worry is that it would exacerbate a perceived “digital divide” putting less well off citizens at a disadvantage. That has, for example, kept many emergency management sites from adding a mobile phone (and backup power source) to their recommended list of supplies. But during the webinar Aikin made the point that the “divide” does not exist in mobile phones and that in fact the mobile-only population is being underserved if that channel is not fully utilized.

In a follow-up email, I asked Aikin to further address the “digital divide” worries of some in the emergency preparedness community about new media. She said that there continues to be a socioeconomic discrepancy on home computer ownership but not on mobile phones:

“As a part of our overall mission, we are committed to finding strategies and innovative solutions for reaching underserved populations and providing important health information to those who are disproportionately affected by health disparities…we’ve carefully looked at research from a number of organizations to better reach underserved groups and other target audiences. Mobile technologies, like the text messaging pilot, are a great way to extend reach across racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic lines at a higher rate than, for example, the use of home computers or landlines.

Another example of using phones to reach underserved audiences would be a partnership with Community Voice Mail, a group that provides individual voice mail services. We’ve worked with them to provide important health information to their clients in the form of voice mails and emails. You can learn more about Community Voice Mail at their web site, CVM.org.”

The CDC text messaging pilot Aikin mentions above allows members of the public to receive updated flu information on their mobile devices. To sign up, go here.

In his webinar presentation, preparedness 2.o guru David Stephenson highlighted the Twitter page of the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management. Stephenson pointed out that the site, PhilaOEM, was “following” more than 2000 Twitter feeds, many of which are those of Philadelphia citizens.

Most government Twitter pages tend not to ‘follow’ any non-governmental Twitter feeds and usually do not follow members of the public. PhilaOEM is being aggressive in adding Philadelphians to its ‘follow’ list, according to Stephenson, because they view the public as a resource during an emergency. And the Department sees Twitter as a way to begin setting up those two-way relationships in advance.

The webinar was sponsored by Booz Allen Hamilton’s Center of Excellence for Risk & Crisis Communications, the American Public Health Association and the International Association of Emergency Managers. The other two panelists were: Corrie Conrad, Senior Associate, Global Public Health, Google.org and David Cerino, GM, Microsoft Health Solutions Group. The full webinar (along with another one on the same topic conducted last month) can be found here.