December 19, 2012
Your loved ones want you to drive safely and arrive alive. Planning ahead means calling ahead. Do that with your 2012 Road Conditions Directory. Highway departments want you to know how winter weather is impacting travel. They update these toll-free numbers so you can plan the safest route.
From Our Crew to Yours
Warmest Thoughts and Best Wishes
for a Wonderful Holiday Season
and a Very Happy New Year!
The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) has downsized from ten districts to seven, scaling back in areas many of us may never see. People are screaming for smaller government. The economy has demanded it. So when the agency that’s responsible for keeping I-70, I-35, I-29 and all state roadways safe for travelers and commerce takes one day to fully dress its fleet of snowplows spending $70,000 for fuel to make certain everyone knows their job when snow and ice hits, we should encourage their preparedness. That cost is only 0.0017 of their $42 million winter budget.
Training first responders, which includes public works departments, saves lives. In one of the American Public Works Association’s largest surveys to governments that had recently experienced a federally declared disaster, nearly 800 communities across the country agreed that training is a top priority.
As winter approaches with its challenges of snow and ice, remember that while doing more with less has become the mantra for most winter maintenance operations, Mother Nature doesn’t promise to back off. We all must be prepared. Running snow routes and testing equipment and communications is simply common sense – and they don’t make an app for that.
Upon safely reaching your destination this winter, remember it’s possible because like all professional highway and public works departments, MoDOT invested in safety.
October 10, 2012
Training professionals improves efficiency and expertise. It’s the best way to save money and improve safety. That’s why cities and counties throughout the region sent their drivers to the 25th Annual Snow and Equipment Training Expo last week. It’s an excellent investment!
September 26, 2012
Clear communications are critical to managing emergencies. Earlier this year, Weather or Not owner Sara Croke co-wrote a very informative article for the APWA Reporter (read more) about the reliability of different communication tools and how first responder’s should be prepared to have redundancy built into their communication plan during the course of a disaster.
What about your small business? Your communication plan needs to be very comprehensive and far reaching too. First and foremost your communication plan should include a strategy to communicate with your employees and their families. From that point, your list of audiences cover a large group of people and each of these groups will need to be addressed during the course of an emergency.
(Courtesy of FEMA)
For more information about developing your plan contact Weather or Not President, Sara Croke. Sara will speak with your managers about how to develop a plan for your specific business needs. Call 913-722-3955 or 800-996-7668 today, so your business is ready when the next disaster strikes.
August 28, 2012
The Republican National Convention had extensive plans in the works for more than a year; speakers, media coverage, travel arrangements, catering, venue preparations, etc. Hurricane Isaac made them scramble behind the scenes. Organizers adapted quickly, and then publicized their changes clearly. Decisive action kept participants directly on track and far from any behind-the-scenes chaos.
How will your event operations handle disruptions when weather threatens? What can you do to:
Max Whittaker/The New York Times
SOLUTIONS
Create a Deadline: How much time will be needed for effective, calm action? The RNC couldn’t wait for the tropical storm to arrive before they took action. Use what you know about your business to create options ahead of time.
Deposits: What non-refundable money can you reasonably require?
Rain Insurance: This policy may cover mandatory costs such as entertainment or your deposits. If you can’t make money at least try not to lose any!
Social & Traditional Media: Get the word out ASAP! Many had heard that the RNC cancelled two days of convention activities before they had ever started following Isaac.
Before any event, prioritize its purpose. What’s the critical “Take Away”? Identify the activities that directly support your objectives and create the most flexibility for executing them. That way, when an emergency disrupts the original plan, viable options will be handy.
Being a leader, whether it’s hosting a celebratory event or a strategic national planning meeting, is a very Darwinian role. Adaptability = Success. Having your goals, priorities and options identified ahead of time will create a seamless success for participants and ultimately maximize your bottom line.
As we’re seeing this week, nothing changes faster than the weather. Weather or Not works with companies, government agencies and airports 24/7. Our clients have plenty of time to adjust their operations, thereby maximizing benefits while minimizing budgets.
Lessons Learned: A series of lessons learned from past disasters. Weather or Not will highlight one topic each month to help you prepare for severe storms.
Businesses and organizations encounter unique challenges as they devise the most successful preparedness action plan for their employees and patrons. President, Sara Croke explains the questions companies should be asking to give them plenty of time to act when disaster threatens their business in the current issue of Thinking Bigger Media.
GAME OVER. Lightning warnings from Weather or Not had already caused Dave Jones, OGSA General Manager, to send players and patrons home. Storms would not move from the area for several hours so “waiting it out” was not an option. Some players and families were still lingering in the area when the tornado warning was issued, Dave calmly alerted the remaining bystanders to take shelter immediately. Read more on how the storms on Sunday posed a threat to crowds at public athletic fields.
Sirens are designed to alert those who are outside, not those who are inside. The Johnson County Emergency Management & Homeland Security website advises, “Designed as an outdoor warning system, the sirens should not be relied upon to provide sufficient warning indoors or in noise areas. Air-conditiong, thunder, wind, rain and other conditions can cause the sirens not to be heard indoors or outdoors (even if sirens can be heard during tests).” In addition, the website tells citizens to be aware that sirens can malfunction and do not give the specifics of where a storm is coming from or where it is heading.
Sirens should be used as a “heads up” and are just one part of the warning system which should include NOAA weather radio, the Emergency Alert System, and emergency notifications such as A+ Weather Alerts.
Before a Tornado Threatens:
“I’m looking at the tornado” is not what those of us who spend our careers trying to keep people safe want to hear. So far this season, windows have been blown out while people were gawking at the sky, storm chasers have put themselves in harm’s way and too many have used the tornado warning as a time to reach for their cell phones and cameras.
Hundreds of people tragically lost their lives even when they took as much precaution as possible, but even more were fortunate to survive the devastation because they did take precaution. Not taking the proper actions to ensure safety puts you directly in harms way.
When a Tornado Threatens:
Learn the tricks of the trade from Weather or Not’s professional meteorologists, as seen in the APWA Reporter.
Crisis management teams have a variety of communication methods available to them when disseminating warnings or exchanging information. Redundancy is key as there are few fail safes in technology. The current trend encourages texting as it requires less bandwidth than a cell phone call. However, recent tornadic events have proven that when a crisis looms, all thumbs start texting possibly causing a system overload. Surprisingly, two sources that are diminishing in use, have proven quite reliable during severe weather threats and recovery: landlines and two-way radio.
For a more in-depth review, read the full article from APWA Reporter, Jan. 2012 issue “Emergency Management” and check out the entire issue of the APWA Reporter from January to read more on Emergency Preparedness & Management.
