Hurricane Sandy: Managing Call Surge with Partners

Session Objectives Make informed decisions around how to establish a disaster back-up systems Understand how to plan now for real time resource exchange and caller information before a disaster occurs Consider the use of web based technologies as a part of the Continuity of Operations planning

Scenario October 2013 Hurricane Sandy hits the NJ coastline causing 2.4 million power outages, 45,000 damaged homes, transportation interruptions, thousands of displaced residents

NJ Partnership with NJ Office of Homeland Security Make emergency preparedness / disaster response information easily available to the public Increase public awareness about the importance of preparing for emergencies and taking action. Make scalable to provide information during times of increased DHS threat levels or statewide emergencies, i.e, floods, hurricanes, evacuations, health emergencies, etc. Serve as the Missing Persons Portal for the public utilizing UVIS (Uniform Victim Identification System) as directed by the NJ OEM.

NJ Role in a Disaster Public Information Portal By dialing or visiting Addictions Hotline: point of contact for medical Maintenance: methodone etc UVIS – Uniform Victim Identification System NJVOAD member Assistance Guides: Floods, Hurricanes, Haitian Earthquake For Hurricane Sandy, Rebuild & Volunteer Coordination Long Term Recovery Coordination for NJ VOAD

Continuity of Operations COOP Plan To Do Checklist Testing Implementation Sustainability Over Time

Hurricane Sandy Preparation Shelter in Place: staff volunteer, food, cots, blankets Send some staff home in case of power outages Planning call with Palm Beach Reviewed our Continuity of Operations Plan with management team Tested Technologies

Technologies Web Based: Telecom (Five9), Caller Management System and Data Resources (Referral & Resource House) Premise Based (redundancy): Telecom (IP Office), Referral and Resource House Installed on our servers Phone App: Resource House Communication Delivery: T-1s and FIOS that have back up capability Utilities: Our Achilles Heal (no back-up generator)

#1 Challenge: Handling the Surge

Hurricane Sandy Calls October 28 – December 31, 2013 Received over 79,000 calls (85% in first three weeks) Volunteers (Medical Reserve Corp, AmeriCorps, Spontaneous Volunteers) logged 5,783 calls and 590 hours a value of $12,390. Back Up From Palm Beach, Houston and Vermont (voice mails), 12,000 calls fielded by our partners Web site saw 143,337 unique visitors viewed web pages dedicated to Hurricane Sandy resources. Of those visitors 78% were new to the nj211.org website. Top Needs included food replacement, sheltering, power outages, disaster food stamps & FEMA rumor control, disaster services (evacuations, emergency requests related to electrical outage), FEMA registration information, clean-up requests, local services, donations, and volunteering. Developed an 83 page Hurricane Sandy Relief and Recovery Guide that is available at all DRCs, downloadable and web based for disaster case managers and others working with survivors in the field de.pdf de.pdf

Getting Ready to Offset Calls to Partners Telecom: routing of calls, with ability to send a percentage of overall calls Resource Information: online real time resources, exchanges, open communication line with partner to allow for emerging issues Contact Records: provided hard copy forms, could used web based form or allow access to your internal systems. Needs List will drive reporting, make sure your needs match the disaster. Timeframe: idea of how long calls will be answered by partners and long term plans to sustain overtime.

Providing Back-up in Houston First asked on Sunday Nov 4 th Began answering calls on Monday Nov 5 th at 11:30am Committed to work together to provide coverage and to track and report service results

How it worked Routed calls to a dedicated “point to” number Inbound calls sent to a separate skill group of Helpline specialists trained to handle calls Warm center room in a separate area from local call center Disaster resource information and orientation supplied by NJ. Suggested websites added to group favorites.

What Worked, Opportunities for Improvement Flexibility of our Partners Call Flow Resources Contact Records Reporting

On Being Prepared Overview of Sample Tools  MOU with 211 Partner  Highlights of COOP Plan  Implementation Checklists: As the sending As the receiving Individual Work: In your role, what can you do to start planning for sharing calls with partners. In Pairs, share your plans and brainstorm obstacles Large Group Report Out

Questions????? David Jobe Laura Zink Marx