Did you know that almost 75 percent of Americans aren’t sure whether they have an emergency notification system in their area? That 25 percent don’t even know if there’s an warning siren within earshot of their home?

The statistics are alarming, and we at Amatra want to help do something to turn things around and make citizens more aware and more informed. Last week, Mike Graves, one of Amatra’s account executives, offered a free, live webinar called “Why You Need an Emergency Notification Strategy That Works.”

It was a great opportunity for anyone to learn about the importance of a comprehensive emergency notification strategy, whether an Amatra customer, prospective customer or someone concerned with their community’s safety during emergencies and times of crisis.

The meat of the webinar

The webinar began with some of the biggest reasons people might need to be notified.

• Natural disasters:
  • Hurricanes
  • Tornadoes
  • Snowstorms
• Hazardous materials:
  • Chemical spills
  • Disease outbreaks
• Law and order:
  • Amber Alerts
  • Terrorist threats

No matter where you are, there’s a need to be able to notify people of emergency situations.

We then tackled the biggest obstacles to successful emergency notification problems, including our transient society and technology that requires citizens to opt in, which we’ve covered in a previous blog post.

The webinar wrapped up with a discussion of FEMA’s IPAWS system and how Amatra SmartSource will interface with it for states and other agencies that have registered.

Question & Answer

Then, Mike opened the line for questions from webinar participants. The first question was from an emergency manager in Southern California concerned that an earthquake or other natural disaster might knock out the Internet.

Would you still be able to use Amatra SmartSource to communicate with the population?

The answer is yes, though the Internet may need to play a smaller role in getting your message out. Amatra’s support can also aid in sending out messages to your area if conditions demand it.
The second question: Can we get messages to visitors in the area even if they aren’t registered?

You can. FEMA’s IPAWS system channels information to people based on a Google Maps polygon of the area — similar to how a broadcast of the emergency alert system on TV works. You can set a timeframe that automatically blasts your message to anyone entering that area.

Stay tuned

Do you have other questions about creating an effective emergency management system? Want to learn more about how Amatra SmartSource can help? Stay tuned for information about more webinars, and don’t forget to let us know if you’d like a recording of this webinar.