In addition to TV and Radio news, there is the internet. Just like phone lines, websites can get clogged. Not all agencies appreciate that their websites don’t work well on a smartphone, especially the ones relevant to our area. FEMA knows this, so they have a mobile website at http://m.fema.gov and encourage the use of social media for emergency management. Here is a non-exhaustive list of other resources I have put together for the east end of Long Island. These will help your situational awareness in the impacted area, before, during and after the storm. If you are receiving this message by email, to read the full article, click the title, or go to the website at www.southoldvoice.com and click “Blog“.
Southold Wiki: http://www.nyhurricane.wikispaces.com – This is basically a link farm, meaning a collection of lists of relevant Twitter accounts, Facebook Pages, details of HAM Radio & Scanner frequencies, Live Video and Podcasts Streams, Local Radio Stations, Maps, Nassau County, NOAA, Pets & Animals, Shelters, Transportation links etc. relevant to the North Fork. It’s been put together very quickly in the last couple of days, and is still being worked on. You can add things yourself to the various pages by clicking “edit”.
Google Map with Weather: http://g.co/maps/bsb9 This is an incredible resource as not only does it show the cone of the hurricane with the weather superimposed, the markers are the live twitter feeds for the emergency managers, so you can read what they’re saying as the storm passes over. I am tweeting for the east end of long island as @joannalane (www.twitter.com/joannalane) and as @SoutholdVOICE (www.twitter.com/southoldvoice) . If you zoom into the map, you will see those markers. Clicking on them will also get you the feeds. With thanks to my colleagues Scott Gauvin, Kim Stephens and Jeff Phillips of the Virtual Operations Support Team (VOST) Osbourne for putting this together.
TIP: Adding a twitter ID after www.twitter.com will get you to that person or agency’s account. For example, @LIPAnews (www.twitter.com/lipanews) will get you to LIPA news feed. They sent this message via Twitter this morning, “Please remember If you need to report an outage call 800-490-0075 or you can report online http://bit.ly/rkYJw4 ”
Where are they now? http://www.SoutholdVOST.Wordpress.com Should we receive significant damage in the area, businesses may be displaced, and have to move to temporary premises, or they may be fine and open for business as normal, but nobody knows. Businesses can add their details here to let everyone know. With thanks to Scott Reuter of ORVOAD (Oregon Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster).
Also don’t forget we have the SoutholdVOICE facebook page. http://www.facebook.com/southoldvoice This is where you can keep in touch with Southold VOICE and talk to other members (you will need an account to post there). If you have a facebook account, please “like” the page and status updates will appear in your own news stream. Other important Facebook pages are linked from there for both Suffolk and Nassau Counties official agencies, police and so on. There’s also a Facebook group at http://on.fb.me/NYhurricane Although it claims to be official, there’s no info on who is running it.
TIP: get some more phone apps. I have an iPhone and am using and recommend apps for Facebook, Skype, twitter, various weather apps – including hurricanetracker, accuweather, weatherbug. I also have the Red Cross app for shelters so I know which are open, Scanner911 to listen to Suffolk County police and fire emergency, and I have a compass too, so I can use my phone as a compass. I also have video apps like Ustream and Livestream so I can watch press conferences on my phone. MOST IMPORTANT for your phone – check your settings to make sure your location is switched to ON, so that people can find you in an emergency, and remember, in an emergency, NEVER text 911, and expect dispatch to pick it up. They won’t get it. You need to CALL 911 in an emergency.
Letting people know you’re OK: For every one of us in harm’s way, there are numerous extended family, friends and colleagues outside the impacted are who will be concerned about us. They don’t want a long chat, just to know you’re OK. For one to one direct communication: Use text. This will work when even when lines are clogged and you can’t call. If you’re asking about someone, text “RUOK”. To reply, text “IMOK”. People who tweet are also doing the same thing there usingthe hashtag # symbol. So you can search “name #IMOK”.
And finally, after Irene has passed, don’t forget to check in to the American Red Cross Safe and Well site at www.safeandwell.org to let everybody else know as well.
Be safe and add social networks to your emergency preparations.
Joanna Lane
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