Emergency information by email

joe lachacz writes "I recently stumbled onto a County Level emergency warning web page. This web page's address is http://emergencyemailnetwork.com/ This site can be used for activations etc. This site would be great for EOC's etc. You can also sign up to broadcast information for your county."

 

Earlier in the year we had a significnat earthquake in Washington State. As all of us should know, within minutes of the quake all the phone lines were tied up with people who just have to talk about the quake, and idiots who think 911 is the local news source...


But I was pleasantly surprised to find that almost no network connections went down, and for those of us not relying on the phones and who couldn't get messages out via HF, email was still working. We were able to communicate a great deal of information between offices via email, and it seems like a great idea to use email for callups.


Of course if people are planning to use dial-up service, or if they don't have backup power, this is worthless...


73,
Brian
KB7OIE

 

Most state Emergency Management agencies have a PIO which distributes an on-line newsletter and bulletins to local news media. Some also maintain a mailing list for volunteer and public service organizations and yet another one for local governments and public safety.

I would recommend that you search for local and state government emergency management web pages and ask what sources of emergency public information are available to you as a member of the general public or participant in ARES, RACES, Skywarn, Red Cross, etc.

In Virginia go to www.vdem.state.va.us to subscribe to the on-line monthly Emergency Management Update or to receive press releases and bulletins.

 

Our county EOC sends out email to all member's text pagers. So no matter where you are, on the job, at home or wherever, everyone gets the message at the same instant. Those that can, then check in by phone or radio as soon as possible.

We also get updated weather bulletins throughout the day. So by phone, cellular, pager and radio, I am available for contact by the EOC, 24-7. Plus I keep my weather alert scanner tuned to the closest National Weather Service station day and night.

The pager emails could fail but are only a part of the notification system, one likely to bring the most responses in the quickest time.


73, KD5KUF Joe

 

I agree. I've subscribed to the emergency e-mail network for over two years and have found it very useful for alerting with no SPAM.

BTW, if you have a digital alphamuneric pager with an internet address, such as Skytel, you can add that e-mail address to the site and receive the warnings (albeit truncated to 80 characters) on your pager as well.

On the morning of September 11 when all of the landline and cellular phone circuits were overloaded here in New Jersey, I received up to date info on the attacks that way as I responded to my ARES/RACES assignment.

Every amateur involved in ARES/RACES/SKYWARN activity should subscribe. BTW, since one of the goals of the Amateur Service is public service, that means every licensed ham!!!

73

Gary, K2GW
AEC, Mercer County, NJ

 

I have an e-mail list set up on my Pennsylvania Emergency Communications web site. The list has been very successful and we currently have over 300 subscribers throughout the State of PA. Here's the address if you'd like to check it out:
http://www.pa-sitrep.com/pasitrep.htm

Setting up an emergency traffic e-mail list is very easy. Two things you want to keep in mind are that many people will be subscribing with receive only messaging devices, so you have to set the list up so that the subscriber does not need to reply to the welcome message in order to confirm the subscription.

Secondly, you want to have a message protocol on the list that gives a brief summary under 100 characters at the beginning of each message and you need to run your list off a server that doesn't place a commercial at the beginning of each message. Most mobile/portable hand held text messaging devices have a limit of 100 characters or so.

-David Kleber, KB3FXI
Pittsburgh, PA
http://www.PA-SitRep.com

 

I have been on some e-mail lists that popped off an alert every time the wind changed direction. With too many messages going out on emergency traffic lists, usually the result is that people want off.

I have been running my PA-SitRep list for over 6 months and have 300+ subscribers. So far I've had 1 person ask to be removed.

I guess it depends on what kind of traffic you want to pass on the list, but for emergency traffic lists, the less that goes out, the better.

IF anything major happens in PA, my list comes to life... otherwise it is quite. And hopefully it'll stay that way.

-Dave Kleber, KB3FXI
www.PA-SitRep.com