

In a storm, it's all about communication

2:10 PM, Nov. 16, 2012  |  Comments
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Managing a major storm is never easy. Neither is keeping people informed once the storm has passed, electricity is out and phone and cable service are out of commission.

Sandy certainly proved the point. In the wake of the superstorm, which left 2.76 million New Jersey utility customers without power, large swaths of the state were kept in the dark for a long time, and not just because the lights went out.

Soon after the storm hit, most people were unable to get much, if any, information about the nature and extent of the devastation wrought in their communities. Given the magnitude of Sandy, it was, to a large extent, understandable. Sandy certainly posed major challenges.

For most people, contact with the outside world was through battery-powered radios, cellphones and news websites. Social media, particularly Facebook and Twitter, was especially helpful for those with cellphones. But the information was inaccessible to large numbers of people, particularly those without access to phone or cable service.

Going forward, the increasingly large numbers of cellphone and smartphone users will make communication easier. But in order to dramatically improve the quality of that information, it must be organized by community.

Municipalities should use every available resource to provide localized information. Key areas of emphasis should be improving utilization of their websites, bolstering their reverse-911 capabilities and building networks of volunteers to help hand-deliver information to households in accessible areas.

Every town, it seems, has its own story to tell about special efforts made to get emergency information out to the public. Police in Parsippany and Denville, for example, issued daily Nixle alerts to update road closings, power outages, and school updates.

In South Plainfield, reverse-911 calls were helpful before the storm, but once the power started going out the reach was limited. The borough's Facebook page, however, tripled its number of followers during the storm as residents were still able to access the site through their cell phones. Officials provided hourly updates and responded to residents' questions, allowing for interactivity that isn't possible with a reverse-911 system.

There is, of course, no surefire way to reach everyone in an emergency, even with today's technology. Cell-phone service can be spotty as well; about a quarter of the state's cell towers were affected by Sandy or knocked out of commission entirely, although text messages can still go through even when voice connections cannot.

Towns must continue to build upon all the options available, making sure they have backup power for their websites and other needs, updating their reverse-911 call lists and developing a list of neighborhood captains charged with providing information to others on their street and relaying unmet needs to the appropriate officials and agencies.

Information is power, especially when the power is out. Hurricane Sandy was a reminder of that, and we urge municipalities to learn this storm's lessons to better prepare for the next one.

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