| Some municipalities have acquired emergency | | | | among them. |
| notification tools in order to notify rapidly the | | | | This is a good example of lost opportunity to |
| population in disaster situations. In many cases | | | | communicate intelligently with the population. While |
| worst case scenarios have been imagined, and | | | | a small number of people knew, that there was |
| multi-channel notification systems assist a local | | | | basically no flood risk, the local population, but also |
| emergency manager in informing the citizen in | | | | citizens working in an office miles away from |
| case of eventual evacuations. | | | | home were kept in the dark about the evolution |
| Municipalities often forget, or decide to ignore that | | | | of the events. Outside, roads were still blocked, |
| these systems should also be used to keep | | | | end of day traffic jams were still on. |
| population informed in other situations than | | | | In our debriefing meeting, we made following |
| earthquakes, nuclear accidents or floods. When | | | | comments: the right thing to do would have been |
| we advise our customers, one of the comments | | | | to send emails, SMS or voice calls to the |
| given regularly by local authorities is: | | | | population subscribed to the notification solution |
| "We did not use your alert management system | | | | informing them, that the worst had been seen, |
| [AlarmTILT], because we did not want to spread | | | | and that there was no flood risk anymore. Also, |
| panic among the members of the public." | | | | immediately when set up, the hotline number |
| According to Jeannette Sutton, a disaster | | | | should have been transmitted (actually, the hotline |
| sociologist working with the Natural Hazards | | | | number was delivered by local TV channels at |
| Center of the University of Colorado, emprirical | | | | 8pm, 3 hours after the events, when danger was |
| research has shown that members of the public | | | | over!). People at home would have felt safer, |
| do not panic, or very rarely, in the context of | | | | although at their doors, emergency services were |
| disaster. They will need as much information as | | | | securing the streets. Members of the public living |
| possible to assess their situation, and to be able | | | | there, but at work elsewhere, would have been |
| to take protective measures for themselves and | | | | reassured as they would have received the |
| their families. This also explains why, invariably, | | | | message giving them updated info on the |
| after a major incident (power outage, water | | | | situation. Furthermore, they would have known, |
| pollution problem, flood) there are so many | | | | that main roads to their municipality were blocked, |
| complaints issued by the public about how poor | | | | and could have looked for alternative routes. |
| communication from authorities worked, | | | | Using emergency notification intelligently means a |
| particularly at local level. | | | | commitment by the local crisis manager to |
| On Friday 23rd January 2009, heavy rains fell | | | | evaluate at all times the pros and cons to deliver |
| over Luxembourg. Around 3pm the situation was | | | | an important information to local citizens. In doubt, |
| dangerous for a municipality using our services, | | | | he/she should always prefer to deliver the |
| with a risk of floods from nearby river | | | | message. If it happens the information was |
| threatening hundreds of homes. The mayor had | | | | incomplete or wrong, he can always rectify later. |
| called his crisis management team, and was | | | | If not delivered, it is much more difficult to handle |
| receiving first hand information from emergency | | | | properly at later stage. If a big storm is about to |
| services (our 112 coordinator) and from the local | | | | hit a community, it is always better to inform the |
| meteorological centre. They had prepared an | | | | public early enough. If in the end the storm does |
| evacuation message to the affected people to be | | | | not come, people won't mind, if a follow up |
| broadcast via our solution. A hotline was set up to | | | | message is sent as soon as possible to say so. |
| give hour-by-hour rain and river level information. | | | | Not sending the information "fearing panic |
| Outside, first response teams and fire brigades | | | | behaviour in the area" will create distrust into the |
| were blocking roads at risk and diverting the | | | | communication system in place, especially if the |
| traffic. By 5 pm the weather centre declared the | | | | public is aware that an advanced emergency |
| rain was about to stop over Luxembourg. River | | | | notification tool is in place. Informing intelligently |
| limnimeters showed water levels were regressing. | | | | does not create panic, as Jeannette Sutton puts it |
| Relieved, the mayor did not issue any message | | | | correctly, it reduces fear and uncertainty. |
| to the public. He did not want to create panic | | | | |