Preparing for Hurricane Florence

The Everbridge team is here to support all customers in the path of Hurricane Florence. We wanted to briefly re-post some important best practices that we shared at the beginning of this year’s hurricane season, as well as encourage readers, regardless of your critical communications vendor, to please take a few minutes to verify the following ahead of #HurricaneFlorence: 1) Prepare for the What-Ifs – Save the 24/7 Tech Support and Emergency Live Operator numbers for your vendor, and ensure you have their mobile push app downloaded. 2) Ensure Your Credentials Are Up to Date – By logging in to your system and checking this as soon as you can. 3) Start Your Campaign – If you’re a state or local government agency, use the community to publicize your platform and keyword(s). 4) Evaluate Your Templates – Confirm that the language and instructions provided are appropriate. 5) Verify Recipient Data is Current – Conduct a data refresh or reminder to the public about the sign up process. Stay safe! ****the following is a republished post from June 2018*** The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season was catastrophic. The season featured 17 named storms, 10 hurricanes and 6 major hurricanes – ranking it as the fifth-most active season in history. It was also the costliest season on record, with a total of at least $282 billion in damages, the majority of which was caused by the devastating storms, Harvey, Irma and Maria. These storms displaced hundreds of thousands of people, brought down key public infrastructure and created resource shortages. Hurricane Harvey dropped a record 51.88 inches of rainfall near Highland, Texas and Irma was the longest-lasting powerful hurricane or typhoon ever recorded, sustaining 185-mph winds for 37 hours. Unfortunately, researchers have predicted that 2018 will not provide a reprieve for regions that are particularly susceptible to the Atlantic hurricane season. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(NOAA), the forecast for this year’s season predicts “above normal” activity and a 70 percent likelihood of more than 10 named storms. Already, Subtropical Storm Alberto was reported to have caused over $50 million in damages over Memorial Day weekend. With an emphasis on lessons learned from 2017, as well the noted activity during Alberto, the Everbridge Customer Success team has released new critical event management and emergency messaging recommendations, guidelines and tips that organizations should incorporate into their hurricane readiness and preparedness plans. The 2018 hurricane season preparedness best practices include:

• Confirm System Access: Make sure that all users can log into your critical communications system, and that they have the right access to send notifications. Also, ensure that former employees are removed from your system and that access for users on leave is disabled.
• Message Construction: In an emergency, messages should be clear and concise. It is recommended that you adhere to the 3-3-30 guideline (a message should contain no more than 3 main points, in 3 short sentences, using fewer than 30 words).
• Contact Data Quality: The start of hurricane season is the right time to remind citizens to sign up for your community messages. When a resident subscribes, it supports a more complete and accurate profile of that person, including home phone, mobile phone, SMS, email, and locations that are important to them.
• Perform Testing and Training: To support adoption for recipients and ease of access for message senders, you will want to send test messages to maintain familiarity with the system and to practice message building. Use a severe weather event as an opportunity to provide your contacts (residents and/or employees, customers, and other stakeholders) with preparedness information, similar to information found at https://ready.gov.
• FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS): During a severe weather emergency, it’s extremely helpful to have access to IPAWS (Integrated Public Alert and Warning System), so if infrastructure fails and land lines are not an option, you know you can at least get a one-way message to residents’ mobile devices, or anyone near the event.
• Share the URL for the Local Emergency Alert Opt-in Page: Use the news, radio, social media and printed materials to actively promote your system to the public.
• Tracking the Safety of Care-Dependent Residents: During a hurricane, your care-dependent citizens are at an elevated risk. They may not be able to evacuate and may need to stay close to treatment. Coordinate regularly with your health department to understand where you at risk population is located, how they can be reached and what their special needs may be.

For more critical event management and messaging best practices, and information on how Everbridge can help, access the “Safety Communications During Severe Weather” Tip Sheet here.