[chambernews] Fwd: Communicating during an emergency
Karen Amundson (Chamber)
karen at moramn.com
Wed Jan 4 14:11:48 CST 2012
Useful, valuable information to read and act on if necessary.
Thank you Stefan.
Communicating During an Emergency
posted Sep 27, 2011 10:22 AM by Erica Wirtz [ updated Sep 27, 2011 10:51
AM ]
Once an emergency has happened, our first instincts are to call 911, our
family, friends and loved ones. We have a need to check in and make sure
everyone is OK.But during widespread disasters, communication networks
can fail us - they can be without power, damaged, congested... After any
wide spread disaster you hear of the difficulty in communicating through
mobile phones.
The FCC and FEMA provide Tips for Communicating Before, During & After
Disasters
<http://blog.fema.gov/2011/09/fcc-fema-how-to-communicate-before.html>:
*Before a Disaster: How to Prepare Your Home and Mobile Device*
1. Maintain a list of emergency phone numbers in your cell phone and
in or near your home phone.
2. Keep charged batteries and car-phone chargers available for
back-up power for your cell phone.
3. If you have a traditional landline (non-broadband or VOIP) phone,
keep at least one non-cordless phone in your home because if it
will work even if you lose power.
4. Prepare a family contact sheet. This should include at least one
out-of-town contact that may be better able to reach family
members in an emergency.
5. Program "In Case of Emergency" (ICE) contacts into your cell phone
so emergency personnel can contact those people for you if you are
unable to use your phone. Let your ICE contacts know that they are
programmed into your phone and inform them of any medical issues
or other special needs you may have.
6. If you are evacuated and have call-forwarding on your home phone,
forward your home phone number to your cell phone number.
7. If you do not have a cell phone, keep a prepaid phone card to use
if needed during or after a disaster.
8. Have a battery-powered radio or television available (with spare
batteries).
9. Subscribe to text alert services from local or state governments
to receive alerts in the event of a disaster. Parents should sign
up for their school district emergency alert system.
*During and After a Disaster: How to Reach Friends, Loved Ones &
Emergency Services *
1. If you have a life-threatening emergency, call 9-1-1. Remember
that you cannot currently text 9-1-1. If you are not experiencing
an emergency, do not call 9-1-1. If your area offers 3-1-1 service
or another information system, call that number for non-emergencies.
2. For non-emergency communications, use text messaging, e-mail, or
social media instead of making voice calls on your cell phone to
avoid tying up voice networks. Data-based services like texts and
emails are less likely to experience network congestion. You can
also use social media to post your status to let family and
friends know you are okay. In addition to Facebook and Twitter,
you can use resources such as the American Red Cross's Safe and
Well program
(www.redcross.org/safeandwell
<http://www.redcross.org/safeandwell%29.>).
3. Keep all phone calls brief. If you need to use a phone, try to
convey only vital information to emergency personnel and/or family.
4. If you are unsuccessful in completing a call using your cell
phone, wait ten seconds before redialing to help reduce network
congestion.
5. Conserve your cell phone battery by reducing the brightness of
your screen, placing your phone in airplane mode, and closing apps
you are not using that draw power, unless you need to use the phone.
6. If you lose power, you can charge your cell phone in your car.
Just be sure your car is in a well-ventilated place (remove it
from the garage) and do not go to your car until any danger has
passed. You can also listen to your car radio for important news
alerts.
7. Tune into broadcast television and radio for important news
alerts. If applicable, be sure that you know how to activate the
closed captioning or video description on your television.
8. If you do not have a hands-free device in your car, stop driving
or pull over to the side of the road before making a call. Do not
text on a cell phone, talk, or "tweet" without a hands free device
while driving.
9. Immediately following a disaster, resist using your mobile device
to watch streaming videos, download music or videos, or play video
games, all of which can add to network congestion. Limiting use of
these services can help potentially life-saving emergency calls
get through to 9-1-1.
10. Check www.ready.gov <http://www.ready.gov/>regularly to find other
helpful tips for preparing for disasters and other
emergencies.
SOURCE: https://sites.google.com/site/infragardminnesota/hot-news-1
--
*PROtective Services, Inc.*
Office: 320-679-4848
Cell:612-961-5867 (24/7)
E-mail: Stefan at PROtectiveServicesinc.net
<mailto:Stefan at PROtectiveServicesinc.net>
WEB: WWW.PROtectiveServicesinc.net <http://www.protectiveservicesinc.net/>
Member: ASIS, INTELLENET, NLA, MAPI, SOTA
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