1. Disaster Info Team Emergency Communications “It isn’t a question of whether your municipality will be involved in a natural disaster or emergency event, it’s a question of when and will you be prepared.”

2. Disaster Info Team NJ GMIS Tec Conference April 7, 2016 Whole Community Approach Determine Demographics & Local Actors Choose Channels & Teams Develop a Plan Establish a Workflow Build a Contact List Exercise and Implement the Plan, involving all parties Cross Market all Digital Communications Channels

3. Disaster Info Team NJ GMIS Tec Conference April 7, 2016 Whole Community Approach Engage Your Community –Skywarn.org: National Weather Service Skywarn Training o Skywarn: 400,000 volunteers across the country o Training is free – about 2 hours o Citizen reporting online or via an unpublished phone number –CoCoRaHS.org: Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, Snow Network o Grassroots effort to measure precipitation in the backyards of citizens o Get a gauge; report precipitation online o Data is public and accessible online

4. Disaster Info Team NJ GMIS Tec Conference April 7, 2016 Sustainable Jersey Actions Emergency Management and Resiliency 1.Emergency Communications Planning Develop a plan outlining the steps a town will take to disseminate important information during emergencies Utilize varied communications channels (traditional & digital media, text and email, sign boards, community posting boards & community networks) Create a process for citizens to register for alerts 2.Vulnerable Populations Identification for Emergencies Identify vulnerable individuals within the community and market “NJ Register Ready” to register them so that they can receive updates during emergencies Keep a list of key community stakeholders that can help get word out to special needs populations Use of alternative communication formats for people with special needs SustainableJersey.com

5. Disaster Info Team NJ GMIS Tec Conference April 7, 2016 Think and Act Regionally Disasters don’t end at municipal boundaries Use a social media dashboard (example: Hootsuite) –Manage teams and publish to many channels –Monitor municipal, county, state and private channels –Use Google Alerts (google.com/alerts), keyword searches Aim for standards and consistency across jurisdictions –http://morriscountynj.gov/about/municipalities/ Regional solution example: MCUrgent (Morris County Urgent)

6. Disaster Info Team NJ GMIS Tec Conference April 7, 2016 How MCUrgent Works Towns create a post using a dashboard #hashtag post Twitter (MCUrgent) Facebook (MorrisCountyNJ) Twitter (MorrisCountyNJ) Facebook (Town page) Twitter (Town feed) Town 2 Town 1 Town 3 Town 4 Town 5 Facebook (MCUrgent)

7. Disaster Info Team NJ GMIS Tec Conference April 7, 2016 Don’t Reinvent the Wheel See what others are doing in the social space –Facebook.com/mcurgent –Facebook.com/Bastrop-County-Office-of-Emergency-Management- 193202960708177/ Read evaluative reports on disaster communications –Boston Marathon, Superstorm Sandy, Nepal Earthquake, Japan Tsunami, Hidden Pines Fires, Colorado Floods…. Train: –FEMA NIMS/ICS: https://training.fema.gov/nims/https://training.fema.gov/nims/ –NWS Skywarn: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/skywarn/http://www.nws.noaa.gov/skywarn/ –ESF #2: http://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/32174http://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/32174

8. Disaster Info Team NJ GMIS Tec Conference April 7, 2016 Connect #SMEM on Twitter #smemchat Friday, noon to 1PM, Twitter GoWProNJ.net Gov’t Web Professionals of NJ NVOAD.org Nat’l Voluntary Orgs Active in Disaster APCO.org Assoc of Public-Safety Comm Officials NAGConline.org Nat’l Assoc of Gov’t Communicators CERT Community Emergency Response Team R.A.C.E.S Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service Emergency Mgmt Magazine http://www.emergencymgmt.com/ http://www.emergencymgmt.com/ Carol Spencer, Stormzero.com carol@stormzero.com; 973-637-0483 carol@stormzero.com