Effective Communications
| During an emergency, effective communications is one of the greatest logistical problems. Without effective communications, first responders, including CERTs, will not know where to respond or what to expect. Without well-coordinated communications, an emergency response organization will be unable to effectively coordinate its resources. Without clear communications, responders may misunderstand a situation, responding to the wrong location or responding unprepared for the actual situation. Worse, if communications fails, first responders may find themselves in danger for which they are unprepared.
Successful communications is essential to successful emergency response, while problematic communications may actually make the situation worse. Effective, clear, organized communications is essential in an emergency response. CERT volunteers will be part of a communications network when participating in an emergency response, whether they are serving as a runner or coordinating multiple teams as a Net Control Operator. Having some basic familiarity with communications modes and techniques and an overview of how CERTs fit into the communications plan will go a long way towards ensuring that CERTs remain a part of the solution, rather than complicating the problem. Communications in disastersHurricane Katrina Coordination of the rescue efforts on August 28-29, 2005 were hindered by failures in the local communications system. Most cell phones, landline telephones, and Internet connections were inoperable due to line breaks, destruction of base stations, or power failures. Mineral, VA On August 23, 2011, a magnitude 5.8-6 earthquake 84 miles southwest of Washington, D.C. resulted in an overload of cell phone networks from North Carolina to New York. Although the quake caused no major damage, there were simply too many callers on at the same time. There are numerous local examples of where communications have failed during disasters. Please take a look at the two articles below for examples. Crisis Communication Suffers During Natural Disasters(Paradise Fire) Disaster after disaster, California keeps falling short on evacuating people from harm’s wayPrinciples of Disaster Communications
|