Winter weather is becoming less predictable and atypical for many parts of the country. And this creates challenges for every organization — from state and local governments that must inform and protect residents to federal agencies and businesses that must keep employees safe and operations moving.
Given the risks to lives and livelihoods that winter weather can bring, it’s never too early to start preparing to battle the elements with a comprehensive winter weather preparedness strategy. Start by asking questions such as: What are the most likely risks? What lessons can we learn from last year? What expertise can we leverage to build this year’s plan?
Working through this process can go a long way in helping you transition from a reactive to a proactive strategy.
Here are six tips to help guide your winter weather preparedness planning and strengthen your ability to protect your people and operations before, during and after winter weather strikes:
1. Dust Off Your Communications Plan
Fast, effective communication with residents and employees is essential for government agencies and businesses and is about more than sending emergency instructions. It’s also about keeping people informed throughout a winter weather crisis. Your mass notification plan should include several key capabilities:
- Templates: Create alerts ahead of time. As weather conditions change, you can edit templates in your system quickly.
- Audience Segmentation: Target your alerts by groups so that recipients receive the information relevant to them (segment using criteria such as location, for example).
- Multichannel: Ensure your system can send alerts in multiple formats to reach recipients on whichever device they prefer.
- Two-Way Communications: Enable residents or employees to check in during an emergency.
2. Build Your Audience
Your alerts are a waste of effort if they aren’t being received and read. That’s why you need to build your audience.
Encourage people to update their contact data before winter, including work, home and mobile numbers, email addresses and their preferred method of contact. Consider using an online portal to make registration fast and easy.
State and local agencies should take steps to encourage residents to sign up for emergency alerts. Collecting and verifying contact data for community partners is also important, including government agencies at multiple levels, utilities, local businesses and NGOs like the Red Cross.
It’s also helpful for businesses and federal agencies to get a complete picture of where employees live, work and regularly travel. Whenever possible, consider collecting location information so you can better protect your people.
3. Put Your Plan to the Test
The best way to validate your winter weather plan is to put it to the test — before an emergency.
Whether you use actual drills or computer simulations, it’s important to note any process gaps you identify and subsequent recommendations for resolution. Then update your plans accordingly.
Review your alerting system and rates of delivery (clicks, opens, reads, listens and responses). Then do a trial run of your IT and network infrastructure to ensure disaster resilience and proper data back-up. Businesses should also review their supply chains and develop a digital blueprint, including all facilities, suppliers, vendors and customers and their locations, transportation modes and delivery routes.
4. Target Alerts to the Right People
Getting the right message to the right people at the right time is the goal. Armed with details of conditions on the ground, agencies and organizations can quickly send alerts via text message, email, phone call or mobile app push notifications.
State and local agencies are on point to alert the public about power outages, road closures, status of essential services, etc. Federal agencies and larger organizations must reach all employees, who are often widely dispersed (branch offices, traveling or remote workers). Pre-scripted alerts can be sent to targeted groups; for example, employees reporting to a certain office can receive an alert about a power outage and instructions on building closure.
Business operations often take a hit during winter storms. Reliable communications technology helps speed decision-making about alternate suppliers, transferring production to alternate facilities, etc. And employees and suppliers can receive immediate alerts about these changes.
5. Be a Source of Truth
People will be seeking information they can rely on in the immediate aftermath of a winter weather event.
Accurate and timely alerts should be sent continuously to promote available relief services, restoration timeline updates and contact information for reporting hazards (downed power lines, traffic accidents or blocked roadways, etc.).
Residents will want to know when schools and government offices will reopen, when public transportation will be restored and details on available relief services. Employees will want to know the status of office re-openings and guidelines on remote work. It’s a good idea to leverage two-way communications and ask employees to check in so you know they are safe.
6. Evaluate and Update
In the days and weeks following the event, revisit your emergency preparedness plan carefully and document its performance. Review the data and look at metrics such as which modes (text, mobile app, email and phone) and social channels reached the most people and the number who read your alerts.
Be honest about any shortcomings and incorporate strategies for addressing them. For example, did incorrect or incomplete contact information impact the receipt of your alerts. Remember that lessons learned from this year’s winter weather emergency response plan can help you be better prepared for whatever winter holds in store next year.
To learn more about strengthening your organization's winter weather strategy, download our Winter Weather Preparedness Kit.
