In my last post, I discussed how a siloed communications system doesn’t work in emergency communications. The term, silo, refers to departments within an organization working separately with little to no communication with each other. For example, in the public sector, emergency notifications are typically handled separately from the communications team.
Taking full advantage of technology and the wide variety of communication tools available is often a bit slower on the adoption scale for government organizations. Add to that a siloed communications approach, and you have a combination 
that creates both inefficiency and ineffectiveness in reaching the people you need to reach in emergencies.
In a crisis situation, reaching the maximum amount of people that you can within the community that could be affected can be the difference in saving a few lives versus saving a lot of lives.
The Town of Ocean City, MD, discovered this need firsthand in 2011 when Hurricane Irene devastated the area. In the aftermath of the storm’s destruction, residents felt that the town’s communication could have been better before and during the storm. The town knew it needed a better communication system and a more flexible way to quickly get messages to more residents, especially in times of emergencies.
Ocean City administrators began using their website as a way to gain subscribers with the help of a digital communication management system (DCM) and started offering various topics that would be of interest to residents, allowing people to sign up for information and emergency alerts. When Hurricane Sandy hit the following year, the city was prepared, pushing important information alerts out to residents via SMS/text messaging and email.
So how can your organization gain more reach?
By making it a priority to get as much information as you can from your stakeholders before an emergency. What type of information and how much you gather will depend on your organization, but you must start with the basics, such as phone numbers, email addresses, home and work addresses, and any other contact information that you need from your stakeholders. Getting this information before an emergency strikes allows you to proactively get critical information out to residents, which can in turn potentially save someone’s life.
Join us for the second podcast for more on the importance of getting rid of siloed communications, and achieving maximum reach in emergencies.