Local Government Websites are First Lines of Defense inEmergency Management

In times of crisis, people look to their leaders for “official” information and help with recovery. The ability to communicate quickly with citizens is more than convenient… it’s vital.

Increasingly, municipal websites and social media are critical communications platforms for local government. According to Government Technology magazine’s 2013 Year in Review, “Governments are joining social media conversations to aid situational awareness during emergencies and get feedback on everyday services.” Every morning during a disaster, for example, the American Red Cross’ digital operations center produces and widely distributes a report that summarizes keywords of interest in social media mentions that indicate what the affected public is saying and where there are pockets of need.

Three municipalities located in the Southeast U.S. Hurricane Alley – Palm Bay, Fl (palmbayflorida.org), North Port, Fl (cityofnorthport.com) and Lafourche Parish, La (lafourchegov.org) – recently tapped the online government exper-tise of Vision Internet to enhance or develop new websites that significantly boost their ability to engage residents. Each underscores the valuable role municipal websites play in helping citizens prepare for, deal with, and recover from an emergency.

“We use as many tools as possible to communicate with the public and educate them on emergency preparedness,” said Palm Bay Public Information Officer Yvonne Martinez. “The more informed they are, the better prepared they will be when it comes time to recover from a natural disaster. Our city’s website provides the official clearinghouse and is a one-stop portal for every-thing the public needs to know.”

In times of crisis, information from an authoritative source provides calm and control in the midst of chaos. Having a

website where people can get all the information they need is

priceless.

– Yvonne MartinezPublic Information Officer

City of Palm Bay

Vision Internet Case Study

in Emergency CommunicationsWhat’s Next

visioninternet.com

888.263.8847

Palm Bay’s new website shows residents where to go to seek shelter, and how they can get food, ice and water when power is cut off. It also connects the public with recovery resources, provides contact information for assistance, shelter locations, road closures, evacuation routes, potential hazards, and other critical information needed in an emergency situation.

Friends and relatives located outside a disaster area, in other states and other countries, also use the municipal website to stay informed about what’s happening in the area. If a resident’s power is down locally and they can’t check the website, family members in other areas can monitor the site and relay important information via wireless devices.

“Our website audience is broader than just those in the state of emergency,” said Erin Bryce, North Port’s community outreach manager. “The City of North Port recognizes the power of keeping people informed, so we make sure our website is constantly updated with storm-related information. The more residents are informed and prepared, the faster they can recover and get back to normal life.”

Bryce credits Vision Internet’s content management system, visionCMSTM with facilitating North Port’s ability to instantly change the face of its site, which can be invaluable in emergency situations.

“In my arsenal of website tools, I have several online banners predesigned and ready to go in case of a hurricane, tropical storm, flooding, traffic disaster or wildfire,” said Bryce. “With visionCMS, it only takes a couple of clicks to add the homep-age emergency banner. The eNotification system also sends any news update we publish directly to our subscribers.”

In Lafourche Parish, where the weather can change dramatically in a matter of hours, Vision Internet’s website development team created a customized homepage weather widget to help keep citizens informed.

“Our game plan for the new website was to go live before hurricane season started on June 1st,” said Lafourche Parish Information Director Loralei Gilliam. “Our new site posts current weather conditions, a four-day forecast and before, during and after storm guides for residents.”

The new website also takes care of Lafourche Parish’s four-legged residents. Pictures of all animals brought to the parish shelter, where lost pet incidents often increase in the aftermath of a hurricane or other natural disaster, are now uploaded to the site as soon as they’re registered.

“This new feature allow families to check for lost pets or get a quick look at pets available for adoption,” Gilliam said. “Discovering that your pet is safe can bring tremendous peace of mind when you’re trying to recover from a disaster.”

These public officials, all experienced in dealing with emergency situations, know the value of having instant communica-tions with constituents when disaster strikes.

“In times of crisis, information from an authoritative source provides calm and control in the midst of chaos,” said Martinez. “Uninformed citizens can end up becoming part of the problem, draining emergency resources if they need to be rescued because they were unaware of potential hazards. Having a website where people can get all the information they need is priceless.”

Vision Internet Case Study: Emergency Communications

visioninternet.com

888.263.8847

August 2014