Can You Hear Me Now? Disaster Communication

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August 1, 2016
6:36 pm

Hello…hello?

Everyone loves the old Verizon “Can You Hear Me Now?” commercials. Sprint has even parlayed this into a new commercial stream with the former actor. Yet, during an emergency or natural disaster situation, communication is no joking matter. So does your family or business have a Disaster Communication Plan in place? If not, there are some steps you may wish to follow to putting a plan in place.

Plan Ahead
While some emergencies such as a fire or earthquake cannot be known ahead of time, many such as those related to storms are. When facing a storm situation, take action. Charge cell phones ahead of time. Forward calls from your home landline to your cell phone. If you have a home phone line remember that many of the newer systems such as VoIP (Voice of Internet) require internet connectivity and electricity to function, both of which can go out in a severe storm. If you have a senior adult who does not use a cell phone, make plans for communication in the event of an emergency – places they can go for shelter or friends that can check in on them in the event you cannot reach them.

For unforeseeable emergencies, such as in a fire, be sure to have an exit plan in place and establish a meeting point for everyone to gather at outside the home or business. Practice emergency exit plans. If you are a business, make sure that there is always an accounting of all persons in the building.

Think Visually
For homeowners, make sure you have emergency window decals detailing rooms were pets, small children and elderly family members reside in the event that they need assistance to get out. Business owners should have signage posted for exit routes and precautionary measures in the event of an emergency. Keep an emergency card in your wallet with your address and contact information in the event that you should become incapacitated or just are overwhelmed by the chaos of the situation. Children should have an emergency contact clothing label or card on their person in the event that they should become separated from the adults. Make sure whether for your home or business that you have a written down emergency plan for easy access by all and practice it regularly.

Alternatively Communicate
In a large scale emergency, EMS and local emergency communications systems may become overloaded. Use 911 only in a true emergency. Text rather than call, many times text messages will go through when a call will not. Keep a weather radio that works via crank or batteries handy to stay on top of local weather. Use your laptop or tablet to keep abreast of news and weather, especially social media, as most local users in the area will have updates quicker that the news and emergency systems in many cases.

Stay Calm and Plan Ahead

Keeping a calm head during a disaster will allow you to communicate effectively and make decisions based on safety. In the end remember that planning your disaster communication ahead of time will assure that you, your family and employees are prepared and ready for action.

If your home or business has suffered a minor or major disaster event, contact the Reliable Restoration team of professionals. We are experienced communicators working with insurance adjusters, “speaking their language” to assure our work meets with immediate, accurate claim response.

Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, our expert team is mobilized to be onsite quickly to secure your property and begin the restoration process. At Reliable your family is OUR Family!