Getting the Word Out Through Notifications, Alerts and Warnings
While emergency managers grapple with tight budgets and never-ending threats, they face another significant challenge: The people they’re responsible for protecting and collaborating with are changing the way they communicate — frequently and dramatically.
Some people use the latest communications modes, while others are more traditional. Some people rely heavily on e-mail, but many younger people think e-mail is passé and instead prefer text messaging. Some people rely mostly on their landline home phone; some don’t have a landline phone. Still others consider social media their primary communication mode; some don’t know what social media is. And individuals who are blind, visually impaired, deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind, mobility challenged or have a speech disability rely on different modes of communication.
Creative problem-solvers are beginning to find ways to mitigate the issue. Rather than depending on specific modes of communication, they’re looking toward a system-of-systems approach with flexibility built in to adjust to change. They’re also figuring out that technology isn’t the only answer, but rather a piece that can fall dangerously short without smart management.
See Getting the Word Out Through Notifications, Alerts and Warnings, by Rick Wimberly, from Emergency Management Magazine.
