{"id":16012,"date":"2011-09-27T22:23:34","date_gmt":"2011-09-28T03:23:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/?p=16012"},"modified":"2011-09-27T23:53:45","modified_gmt":"2011-09-28T04:53:45","slug":"national-preparedness-month-communication-during-a-disaster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2011\/09\/27\/national-preparedness-month-communication-during-a-disaster\/","title":{"rendered":"National Preparedness Month: Communication during a Disaster"},"content":{"rendered":"

National Preparedness Month: Communication during a Disaster<\/strong><\/p>\n

Source: Office of the Governor Rick Perry – Committee on People with<\/em>
\n Disabilities<\/em><\/p>\n

NEW ORLEANS \u2013 As part of National Preparedness Month, the Federal Emergency
\nManagement Agency and the Federal Communications Commission today released
\nnew tips for consumers aimed at preparing them for major disasters when
\ncommunications networks are more likely to be compromised or damaged. Nearly
\none month ago, a 5.8 magnitude earthquake and Hurricane Irene struck the
\nEast Coast. In the minutes and hours that followed, mobile networks
\nexperienced significant network congestion, temporarily making it harder for
\nmillions of people to reach loved ones and emergency services. This tip
\nsheet aims to help prepare Americans about how to communicate with each
\nother, and loved ones, in the event of another disaster.<\/p>\n

\u201cBetween the East Coast earthquake, Hurricane Irene, Tropical Storm Lee, and
\nwildfires in Texas and California, we have had a lot of powerful reminders
\nlately that disasters can strike anytime, anywhere – and can often make it
\ndifficult for the public to communicate with friends, loved ones or
\nemergency personnel,\u201d said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate. \u201cAn important
\npart of preparing for disasters includes getting ready for potential
\ncommunications challenges, whether caused by power outages or heavy cell
\nnetwork congestion. These simple tips are easy for anyone to follow and
\ncould make a world of difference when it matters the most.\u201d<\/p>\n

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said, \u201cWhen disaster strikes, the ability to
\ncommunicate is essential. However, power outages and other issues can
\ninterfere with the way people ordinarily communicate, making it harder to
\nreach loved ones or emergency services. The FCC is committed to ensuring the
\npublic’s safety through the reliability of our nation’s communications
\nnetworks. But there are also simple steps that consumers can take to prepare
\nfor a disaster as well as practical ways to better communicate during and
\nafter an event. I encourage all Americans to become familiar these tips and
\nshare them with friends and family.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Tip Sheet for How to Communicate During Disasters is below, or check out
\n http:\/\/www.ready.gov\/tech<\/a> or http:\/\/www.fcc.gov<\/a> .<\/p>\n

Consumers with questions about their particular mobile phone devices should
\ncontact their wireless provide or equipment manufacturer.<\/p>\n

TIP SHEET<\/strong><\/p>\n

When disaster strikes, you want to be able to communicate by both receiving
\nand distributing information to others. You may need to call 9-1-1 for
\nassistance, locate friends or family, or let loved ones know that you are
\nokay. During disasters, communications networks could be damaged, lose
\npower, or become congested. This fact sheet provides two important sets of
\ntips. The first will help you prepare your home and mobile devices for a
\ndisaster. The second may help you communicate more effectively during and
\nimmediately after a disaster.<\/p>\n

Before a Disaster: How to Prepare Your Home and Mobile Device<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Maintain a list of emergency phone numbers in your cell phone and in or
\nnear your home phone.
\n2. Keep charged batteries and car-phone chargers available for back-up power
\nfor your cell phone.
\n3. If you have a traditional landline (non-broadband or VOIP) phone, keep at
\nleast one non-cordless phone in your home because if it will work even if
\nyou lose power.
\n4. Prepare a family contact sheet. This should include at least one
\nout-of-town contact that may be better able to reach family members in an
\nemergency.
\n5. Program “In Case of Emergency” (ICE) contacts into your cell phone so
\nemergency personnel can contact those people for you if you are unable to
\nuse your phone. Let your ICE contacts know that they are programmed into
\nyour phone and inform them of any medical issues or other special needs you
\nmay have.
\n6. If you are evacuated and have call-forwarding on your home phone, forward
\nyour home phone number to your cell phone number.
\n7. If you do not have a cell phone, keep a prepaid phone card to use if
\nneeded during or after a disaster.
\n8. Have a battery-powered radio or television available (with spare
\nbatteries).
\n9. Subscribe to text alert services from local or state governments to
\nreceive alerts in the event of a disaster. Parents should sign up for their
\nschool district emergency alert system.<\/p>\n

During and After a Disaster: How to Reach Friends, Loved Ones & Emergency<\/strong>
\n Services<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. If you have a life-threatening emergency, call 9-1-1. Remember that you
\ncannot currently text 9-1-1. If you are not experiencing an emergency, do
\nnot call 9-1-1. If your area offers 3-1-1 service or another information
\nsystem, call that number for non-emergencies.
\n2. For non-emergency communications, use text messaging, e-mail, or social
\nmedia instead of making voice calls on your cell phone to avoid tying up
\nvoice networks. Data-based services like texts and emails are less likely to
\nexperience network congestion. You can also use social media to post your
\nstatus to let family and friends know you are okay. In addition to Facebook
\nand Twitter, you can use resources such as the American Red Cross’s Safe and
\nWell program
\n(http:\/\/www.fema.gov\/goodbye\/goodbye.jsp?url=http:\/\/www.redcross.org\/safeandwell<\/a>).
\n3. Keep all phone calls brief. If you need to use a phone, try to convey
\nonly vital information to emergency personnel and\/or family.
\n4. If you are unsuccessful in completing a call using your cell phone, wait
\nten seconds before redialing to help reduce network congestion.
\n5. Conserve your cell phone battery by reducing the brightness of your
\nscreen, placing your phone in airplane mode, and closing apps you are not
\nusing that draw power, unless you need to use the phone.
\n6. If you lose power, you can charge your cell phone in your car. Just be
\nsure your car is in a well-ventilated place (remove it from the garage) and
\ndo not go to your car until any danger has passed. You can also listen to
\nyour car radio for important news alerts.
\n7. Tune into broadcast television and radio for important news alerts. If
\napplicable, be sure that you know how to activate the closed captioning or
\nvideo description on your television.
\n8. If you do not have a hands-free device in your car, stop driving or pull
\nover to the side of the road before making a call. Do not text on a cell
\nphone, talk, or “tweet” without a hands free device while driving.
\n9. Immediately following a disaster, resist using your mobile device to
\nwatch streaming videos, download music or videos, or play video games, all
\nof which can add to network congestion. Limiting use of these services can
\nhelp potentially life-saving emergency calls get through to 9-1-1.
\n10. Check http:\/\/www.ready.gov<\/a> regularly to find other helpful tips for
\npreparing for disasters and other emergencies<\/p>\n

Colorado as a Case Study in Emergency Preparedness for Diverse Populations<\/strong><\/p>\n

Over the last few years The Colorado Emergency Response Division has
\nbettered its ability to adequately prepare for emergencies in a way that
\nincluded everyone, including people with disabilities and people who speak
\ndifferent languages. Problems initially identified included language
\nbarriers, lack of understanding and institutional lingo between the various
\nstate, federal, and local emergency management agencies and planners, and
\nthe allocation of limited resources. Colorado “preparedness communities”
\nwere established, and several local meetings with interested people and
\norganizations were held. The unique perspectives and needs of the individual
\ncommunities were specifically taken into account, and the exercise of
\nforming personal relationships formed between all of the parties was crucial
\nto establish the trust and communication necessary for a successful
\npreparedness plan. The local agencies preferred to be asked what they needed
\nrather than told, and communities wished to be involved in the emergency
\nplanning process from the beginning, rather than only being joined in midway
\nthrough implementation.<\/p>\n

Full Story: Rachel Coles, How Colorado Develops Preparedness with Diverse
\nPopulations, Emergency Management, July 14, 2011, available at<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.emergencymgmt.com\/disaster\/Colorado-Develops-Preparedness-Diverse-Populations.html<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

National Preparedness Month: Communication during a Disaster Source: Office of the Governor Rick Perry – Committee on People with Disabilities NEW ORLEANS \u2013 As part of National Preparedness Month, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Communications Commission today…<\/p>\n

Read more →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[7224,2829,155,11017,10444,1225,2670,768,9501,5317,11010,5276,538,1358,3780,11016,201,342,2019,1357,1356,11014,11013,11021,1123,7311,11019,3951,11020,4167,11015,11018,10483,11024,11011,11012,468,27,11022,7203,11023],"class_list":["post-16012","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-deaf-news","tag-9-1-1","tag-american-red-cross","tag-battery","tag-battery-powered-radio","tag-case-study","tag-cell-phone","tag-colorado","tag-communication","tag-craig-fugate","tag-disaster","tag-diverse-population","tag-earthquake","tag-emergency","tag-emergency-alert-system","tag-emergency-management","tag-emergency-service","tag-family","tag-fcc","tag-federal-communications-commission","tag-federal-emergency-management-agency","tag-fema","tag-hand-free-device","tag-how-colorado-develops-preparedness-with-diverse-populations","tag-how-to-communicate-during-disasters","tag-hurricane","tag-ice","tag-in-case-of-emergency","tag-julius-genachowski","tag-landline-phone","tag-language","tag-loved-ones","tag-medical-issues","tag-mobile-device","tag-national-preparedness-month","tag-preparedness-community","tag-rachel-coles","tag-television","tag-tips","tag-tropical","tag-voip","tag-wildfires"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p752R-4ag","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":42026,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2021\/06\/03\/hurricane-season-starts-june-2021-are-you-and-your-family-prepared\/","url_meta":{"origin":16012,"position":0},"title":"Hurricane Season Starts June 2021: Are you and your family prepared?","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"June 3, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Hurricane Season Starts June 1, 2021 Hurricane season in Texas starts June 1st and ends November 30th. 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