You see it every summer: photos and videos of devastating storms producing hurricane-force winds, heavy rains, and severe flooding. You hear the stories of swift-water rescues and mass evacuations, not to mention expensive damage and the logistical nightmare of massive road closures.
When you see the devastation caused by these events, it’s easy to think about how lucky your community is to be spared. Then you start thinking about how you would respond if it happened to you next time — because it might. Many members of our Evertel platform have been in this exact situation, and we hear stories all the time about how they got through a disaster.
No community is immune to summer weather disasters. They happen everywhere and come on in the blink of an eye, which means preparation for a disaster needs to happen far in advance.
Don’t Let Natural Disasters Cause Internal Disasters
Feeling like disasters are becoming more commonplace? You’re not wrong.
In the past 40 to 50 years, unusually hot summer days and intense storms have increased in prevalence and severity. The US now gets much more of its precipitation from single-day events and rivers across the US flood more frequently.
Heat and wildfires are also becoming more of a threat. Record-breaking wildfires and droughts have hit states across the South and West. Experts predict that, as the global temperature rises, we’re likely to see all kinds of extreme weather events happen more often, generating more devastating effects.
“We had a tornado touch down in our small Texas city and destroyed many buildings and homes. The ability to request resources instantly and stage our response & clean up efforts [on Evertel] proved to be very valuable.”
Police Chief in East Texas
As if that weren’t enough, the world now has COVID-19 to contend with. Is your emergency operations center ready?
Is Your Department Prepared to Respond?
No matter where you’re located, it’s becoming more and more likely that you’ll have to respond to emergency conditions. How fast can you mobilize? What conditions are you ready to face? Does that list include social distancing and isolation?
Think about your EOC and how your emergency response plans incorporate it. What will you do in the event that you and your team can’t work in close quarters? What if you can’t safely respond to the EOC at all?
“We get a lot of flooding from spring storms and we need a platform like Evertel that will immediately update our entire county.”
Emergency Manager in Iowa
Now, think beyond your local team. Do you have regional support? If so, how fast can you request it, and could they respond under lockdown conditions? Many states now require visitors to quarantine for two weeks due to COVID. Would this apply to your regional backup?
Make Your Emergency Operation Center (EOC) a Virtual EOC (VEOC)
There’s no way around it; emergency preparation is different in 2020 than it’s ever been before. Evertel is here to help, providing you with COVID-aware emergency plans that are realistic and effective.
Through Evertel, you can build a virtual EOC that connects you remotely with your entire incident management team. The whole team is deployable through members’ Evertel accounts. Even if you can’t meet someone in person, you can still provide critical aid.
“In Arizona, we get heavy flooding from our seasonal monsoon storms. These events are totally unpredictable and the immediate deployment of our resources and ’Swift Water Rescue” teams is essential in saving lives. Evertel connects our entire region to prepare for these severe weather events.”
Assistant Fire Chief in Arizona
Your Evertel account expands your available resources, too. Through your virtual EOC, you can request resources in seconds from regional agencies. You even get built-in connections with other leaders that have deployed virtually connected teams safely during COVID-19.
Whether you’re a city, county, state, or federal team, Evertel can connect your EOC and keep you connected no matter what’s going on. Learn more today and be ready for whatever this summer — or any summer — sends your way.
