New FEMA ….Take Me with You Greater New Orleans Mobile Application for Communicating Risk Matt DuBois and Diane Howe FEMA Region 6

2 CC Keep your mobile device, SmartPhone or Blackberry handy!

3  …is an exchange of information among individuals, groups, and institutions that results in making decisions and taking actions that help to manage and/or control risks -- The National Research Council  …is a communication process that is designed to change peoples’ behavior in a “risk” situation  -- NOAA Coastal Services Center Risk Communications…

4  Positive behavior change comes from ensuring that your audience: Hears consistent information from multiple sources and multiple channels Feels that preparedness or mitigation is their own idea Knows what is being asked and how to respond  From this they will: Feel that their actions will make a difference and become more likely to take actions to reduce their risk -- Dennis Miletti and Citizen Corps Research Rule Number One

5 Greater New Orleans (GNO) Update  Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System (HSDRRS) construction memo from USACE in Sep 2011  For FEMA only Two Steps remain… Partial Revised Preliminary Issuance Post-Preliminary Process for Parish-wide areas  Post Disaster Recovery  Political Engagement required

6 Project Challenge (Herding Cats)  FEMA Regional Staff Risk Analysis Staff Floodplain Management & Insurance Grants, Planning and Recovery Staff Mitigation Division & Regional Mgmt.  FEMA HQ Staff  FEMA - Louisiana Recovery Office  FEMA – External Affairs Congressional Media  FEMA - Call Centers FEMA Map Information Exchange LRO Call Center

7 Project Challenge (Herding Cats)  USACE – New Orleans & HQ Technical Staff Task Force Hope  State of Louisiana New CTP - Office of Coastal Protection & Restoration (OCPR) NFIP Coordinator - LA Department of Transportation & Development  Congressional Entities & Staffers  Local & Community Officials  Media Outlets

8 The Need The Resources  Complex (H&H)  Thousands of rebuilding projects  Area is Highly Political  Billions of federal dollars spent on rehabilitation of hurricane defense We’re SAFE…. Right?  Affected watersheds are highest in region/nation for “Risk” and “Need”  FEMA Project timeline dependent on Third-Party Data (USACE)  Not all DFIRMs are being updated with current study effort  Project extent changes to Parish-wide discussions once revised DFIRMs are issued  Oh, and some LEVEES….

9 What would MacGyver do?  Didn’t invent anything new  Used available resources  Creative  Surrounded by disbelievers

10 Which do you misplace most?

11 Inspiration, please….

12 Outside the Box Thinking What don’t you use it for?

13 Mobile App for Risk Communications Advantages:  Low Cost  Updates easily distributed  Allows for consistent messaging  Ease of use by local officials, State and FEMA  Readily available  Measureable  Compatible with BlackBerry, computer, iphone, other smartphones

14 “Make it so”  Determine the message Talking Points, Fact Sheets  Organize your messages  Additional pages if needed  Remove comments  Insert “More” tags  Add hyperlinks when helpful  Option to change sub-domain  Provide contact for questions  Link to other websites if desired

15 What’s Next?  Share with local officials through upcoming outreach efforts  Sell resource as the most up to date information on project progress  Build additional tools for communicating risks  Update key messages as needed

16 MacGyverisms….. Pete says: Mac, whatever you do… MacGyver: responds I know, I know, Pete. Stay out of trouble, keep the expenses down and don’t get killed. MacGyverism #1: You can do anything you want to… if you put your mind to it. MacGyverism #2 Brace yourself… this could be fun.

17 Questions GNO Update webpage