Humanity Road

Summary Hurricane Harvey Response

We fulfilled four major activations including public situations reports, a crisis map for the US Coast Guard and supported the fuel needs of rescue boaters. Since Harvey made landfall on Aug 24, the team responded for 13 days, contributed over 500 hours and have data mined information for situational reporting on the geographic coastal area of Texas that has a combined population of approximately 8,732,935 and Twitter traffic averaged 6.5 million tweets daily. We had a team of 50 volunteers. 37 volunteers from 8 states and 7 countries with an additional 13 translators from Translators without Borders. We collaborated in a multitude of coordination portals with the Tech sector, the medical sector, the private sector, the Digital Humanitarian Network, Standby Task Force, Health Care Ready, AmeriCares, Help Earth Foundation, FEMA NBEOC, US Army National Guard, U.S. Coast Guard, Northcom, Arizona State University, Texas State University. Broke some new ground:

– first time we worked a live SAR rescue map in the USA

– first time we were activated by the USCG and Army National Guard with a crisis map

Timeline

September 6, 2017; Request for donations – Your financial support is helping to save lives in Texas. Flash Appeal – support our work Donate Here

Updated September 5, 2017 We helped to process 1,000 search and rescue cases and relayed almost 500 urgent medical needs.

Updated September 1, 2017; we are currently activated to support Hurricane Harvey. Today’s report focuses on the healthcare situation in Texas following Hurricane Harvey and provides resources and information for people impacted and people wanting to help, including medical volunteers. This report should be considered preliminary information based on social media and open sources.

On August 31, Humanity Road conducted a special data mining effort to identify urgent medical cases that require intervention. These included needs for dialysis, diabetes, heart patients, post-surgery, amputees, disabled, children, newborns, and medications. Sources for data mining included Scanigo, and several partner urgent needs repositories. 602 cases of vulnerable needs were relayed to our partner Healthcare Ready for their response efforts including patient transportation and medical supply deliveries.

Background

Humanity Road activated to support the public with information and assistance on August 24 following catastrophic impacts and flooding from Hurricane Harvey. Situation reports based on early indications in social media were published on August 25th, 27th, and 30th.

In addition, on August 27th, Humanity Road was activated via the Humanitarian Network (DHN) charter, along with our partner the StandBy Task Force, to provide support to first response agencies including the United States Coast Guard (USCG). The DHN organizations are providing support to identify and report urgent unmet needs for people impacted by catastrophic flooding in Texas following Hurricane Harvey. Humanity Road also activated our partner Translators without Borders for local foreign language assistance in data-mining and translating key messaging.

We continue to work with local, state, national and military coordination channels for both the public and businesses impacted.

Download PDF Situation Reports below. Translations support provided by Translators Without Borders.

Highlights of Hurricane Harvey Response

Since Harvey made landfall on Aug 24, The team responded for 13 days and have been working on assisting with rescues of those impacted. They have data mined information for situational reporting on the geographic coastal area of Texas that has a combined population of approximately 8,732,935 and Twitter traffic averaged 6.5 million tweets daily. We had a team of 50 volunteers. 37 volunteers from 8 states and 7 countries with an additional 13 translators from Translators without Borders.

Digital volunteers from the Digital Humanitarian Network have been working around the clock to support those impacted by Hurricane Harvey. Following catastrophic impacts from Hurricane Harvey and excessive flooding, Standby Task Force, Translators without Borders and Humanity Road have activated via the Digital Humanitarian Network (DHN) charter to provide support to first response agencies and working with cadets at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy to support crisis mapping information needs.

Hurricane Harvey hit the Gulf Coast of the United States as a Category 4 storm around 9:45pm local time (US Central Time Zone / -5 UTC) Friday night August 25th. Residents of the state of Texas are experiencing the most powerful storm in 56 years. Extreme wind, and heavy rains have impacted a broad area, and by the time the storm ends, some areas may see more than 50 inches of rain, forecasters said.

The DHN organizations are providing support to identify and report urgent unmet needs . The DHN was activated on Sunday August 27, 2017. The Standby Task Force (http://blog.standbytaskforce.com/), Humanity Road https://humanityroad.org/ and Humanity Road tapped Translators without Borders (https://translatorswithoutborders.org/), Help Earth Foundation (http://helpearthfoundation.org) also stepped forward to help with Hazmat needs. The solution organizations quickly formed inter-disciplinary teams to meet the urgent information needs of those affected by this major event. Below is more information about each of these members.

We collaborated in a multitude of coordination portals with the Tech sector, the medical sector, the private sector, the Digital Humanitarian Network, Standby Task Force, Health Care Ready, Americares, Help Earth Foundation, US Army National Guard, U.S. Coast Guard, Northcom, Arizona State University, Texas State University The team put in amazing hours and broke some new ground here are just a few.

Coast Guard Academy Cadet Evan Twarog shows a heat map on a computer work station in the Geographic Information System (GIS) lab in the academy’s Smith Hall on Friday, Sept. 1, 2017.

• Humanity Road Hurricane Harvey Sitrep No 1 Aug 25, 2017.pdf
• Humanity Road Hurricane Harvey Sitrep No 2, Aug 27, 2017.pdf
• Humanity Road Hurricane Harvey Situation Report No 3, Aug 30, 2017.pdf
• Humanity Road Informe 3 de situación HuracánHarvey.pdf
• Humanity Road Healthcare Situation Report, Hurricane Harvey, TX, Sep 1, 2017.pdf
• Humanity_Road_informe se centra en la situación de la asistencia sanitaria en Texas Sep_1,_2017.pdf
• Humanity Road Hurricane Harvey Situation Report No 3 Aug 30 2017 Vietnamese.pdf

Significant Updates (most recent first)

Sept 1:

• Staff from Christus Health Shreveport-Bossier Louisiana sent their Neonatal Intensive Care Unit transport team to their sister hospital in Beaumont, TX. The crew will assess the needs of the NICU patients at Christus Southeast Texas-St. Elizabeth and be prepared to help transport babies needing critical care. source

Aug 31:

• TX HHS – As of Thursday morning, 165 missions have been completed transporting 1,086 patients from health care facilities affected by Harvey. Texas Mobile Medical Units have seen 239 patients and transferred 53 to health care facilities. Medical shelters for people who need specialized medical care are open in Houston, San Antonio and Austin. Some hospitals that had closed have re-opened for emergency or full services, but there are hospitals in the affected area that remain closed. People who have a medical emergency should call 9-1-1. source
• Care Regional Medical Center in Aransas Pass was damaged by Hurricane Harvey. It remains closed, and cleanup and repair help is needed. There is still no power or water. Donations of medical supplies and equipment are needed. source
• An emergency shipment of donated insulin vials and other supplies for managing diabetes was set to arrive in Texas on Friday. It will be distributed at Houston’s George R. Brown Convention Center, as well as Galveston and Corpus Christi communities, as part of a joint effort between the American Diabetes Association, Insulin for Life USA and JDRF, a juvenile diabetes research organization. A second shipment of emergency supplies will arrive early next week, and will be distributed at NRG Center in Houston, as well as Austin and San Antonio. source Communities.

Aug 30:

• Patients at the Lake Arthur Place nursing home and rehabilitation facility in Port Arthur were evacuated Wednesday as hallways flooded. All residents have been safely evacuated to either St. Elizabeth hospital or Baptist hospital in Beaumont. source
• Cypress Glen Nursing Home, in Port Arthur, was also evacuated with the aid of boats transporting residents to a staging area. source
• Ben Taub Hospital in Houston has reopened. Supply lines are steadily improving, and they have received a food deliveries. source
• Medical team from New Jersey is mobilizing to help staff a 150 bed hospital in Texas. They need 30 ICU nurses, 30 ED nurses and 30 med/surg/telemetry nurses. source

 

Government Links and Help Lines

• For medical emergencies, please call 911
• People with disabilities and medical concerns who need non-life threatening assistance, please call 211.
• US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS): website
• Centers for Disaster Control (CDC): website
• Texas Health & Human Services. website, twitter, facebook
• Harris County Public Health: website, twitter, facebook
• State of Texas Emergency Assistance Registry (STEAR): website
• Veterans: 1-877-WAR-VETS for 24 hour assistance:
• If you lost WIC food or formula, lost a WIC card, or need to find an open WIC clinic, call 800-942-3678 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Breastfeeding help, call 855-550-6667. Lactation consultants answer this line 24 hours a day.
• Texas Oncology triage hotline: 1-888-864-4226 for cancer patients in active treatment.
• Respiratory information: American Lung Association: 1-800-LUNGUSA
• Diabetes supplies: call 1-800-DIABETES (800-342-2383)
• Mental Health:
  • Disaster Distress Line: call 1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746 to connect with a trained crisis counselor.
  • Magellan Crisis Line: 1-800-327-745 – 24-hour confidential counseling hotline available free to all Texas residents.
  • National Alliance on Mental Illness HelpLine: 1-800-950-NAMI (6264). Call this free hotline Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m., ET
• Special Needs:
  • Assistance information for disabled community from Houston Mayor’s office. source
  • Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies hotline for People with Disabilities during Harvey: 800-626-4959. source
  • Autism Society of Texas: 512-479-4199 or the national office (1-800-3-Autism or 328-8476)
  • Easter Seals of Greater Houston (help for people with disabilities, can assist with replace wheelchairs and other assistive equipment): source
  • Portlight Inclusive Disaster Strategies’ hotline (people with disabilities): 800-626-4959. source
  • Trach Mommas 504-723-7193 (working with: Protect TX Fragile Kids, The Parker Lee Project, Advocates for Medically Fragile Kids NC, and Moms of Trach Babies to provide pediatric medical supplies). source

Situation Reports and Maps

• Healthcare Ready situation reports. source
• Google Crisis Map. source
• MD Anderson Cancer Centers Emergency Alert (status updates and maps) source
• Open pharmacies: RX Open (searchable map of pharmacies that are open). website
• Harris County unsafe water notices. source
• Harvey relief map (shelters, donation drop offs, volunteer needs). source

Hospitals Closed, Damaged, or Limiting Service

• Beaumont:
  • Sep 1: Christus Southeast Texas St Elizabeth Hospital is open but operating under emergency conditions. The emergency and trauma center is only open for urgent, serious injuries. The city of Beaumont lost water supply on Thursday. The hospital is using well water and conserving water for patients. They are not evacuating at this time. source
  • Aug 31: As of 10:00 am EST, Baptist Hospitals of Southeast Texas Beaumont location is currently evacuating and has discontinued all services (including emergency services). source
• Coastal Bend area:
  • Aug 31: Care Regional Medical Center in Aransas Pass, damaged by Hurricane Harvey remains closed. It is the only medical facility in the area. They have no power or water. They need medical equipment and supplies and help to cleanup and rebuild. 1711 W Wheeler Ave, Aransas Pass, TX 78336. source

• Houston:
  • Aug 31: The majority of outpatient clinics are closed at the three Texas Children’s Hospital campuses until Tuesday, Sept. 5, including the Texas Medical Center campus, West Campus and The Woodlands. The Woodlands campus resumed surgery clinics and surgical procedures today and surgery clinics at Texas Children’s Medical Center campus will open on Friday, Sept. 1 at 8 a.m. source
  • Aug 31: MD Anderson Cancer Center was closed for outpatients due to Harvey. It now has limited outpatient operations underway, and designated employees are caring for inpatients and critical outpatients. source
  • Aug 31: Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital is open. Reports that it was closed are not true. source
  • Aug 30: Kingwood Medical Center began air transferring critical care patients due to rising water. Family members of patients Kingwood Medical Center, please contact (844) 674-7431 for transfer location information. source
  • Aug 29: Texas Medical Center continues to operate to prioritize emergency cases and in-patient care. The majority of non-emergent and elective procedures have been rescheduled to later dates. We request that patients contact their care providers directly as schedules have changed as a result of the storm. source
  • Aug 29: More than 1,500 patients have been evacuated by the afternoon of August 29, 2017 from twenty-three licensed hospitals across the Houston region. source
  • Aug 28: “…at least 21 Texas hospitals had closed and been evacuated, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. St. Luke’s hospital in Houston was also evacuated Monday due to rising floodwaters. An urban search and rescue team from Nebraska and Ohio also evacuated 80 residents from a nursing home in Katy, Texas.” source

 

Where to get Medical Care and Medications:

Hospitals and Clinics (call to determine status)

• Statewide:
  • Texas State Hospital Facilities source
  • List of hospitals in Texas (call first to determine status). source
  • List of Texas urgent care and walk-in clinics (call first to determine status). source
  • WIC clinics, call 800-942-3678 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Telehealth: free telehealth available for people in Texas and Louisiana impacted by Harvey until Sep 8. MDLive – www3.mdlive.com/harveyem, 888-959-9516, Promotional code: HARVEY. source

• Coastal Bend area:
  • List of open hospitals and clinics. source
• Austin:
  • List of Austin hospitals helping evacuees. source
• Houston:
  • MedSpring urgent care clinics in Houston area. source
  • Children’s Hospitals

• Texas Children’s Hospital Locations: source Hurricane Harvey Updates
• Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital and Center List source

Emergency room services in Houston:

• Ben Taub Hospital, 1504 Taub Loop, Houston, Texas 77030, 713-873-2000
• Emergency room services: Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital, 5656 Kelley Street, Houston, TX 77026, 713-566-5100. source
• Hospitals available for heart patients (searchable map): source
• MD Anderson Cancer Center – open but limited outpatient services. website source

Dialysis

• People who need to find an operating dialysis clinic should contact the End Stage Renal Disease Network of Texas at 866-407-3773.
• Fresenius Kidney Care: 1-800-626-1297. Dialysis patients who live in areas affected by Hurricane Harvey can call this hotline to connect with disaster response resources and treatment. source
• If your normal dialysis provider is inaccessible, the Kidney Community Emergency Response can coordinate treatment for people in an emergency. Call 866-901-3773 or visit its site for more information. source
• Emergency Dialysis Services, DaVita 1-800-400-8331. source

Medications

• Statewide:
  • Open pharmacies: RX Open (searchable map of pharmacies that are open). website

• • Texas HIV Medication Program: call 1-800-255-1090 or see a list of pharmacies here: website
  • Diabetes patients: for those in urgent need who cannot access medicines through normal channels, please contact the Lilly call center at 1-800-Lilly-RX. source
  • Veterans needing prescriptions can call the Heritage Health Solutions Veterans Help line at 866-265-0124. source
• Dallas:
  • Walmart has deployed a mobile pharmacy at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center shelter in Dallas. A current Walmart or Sam’s Club pharmacy account is NOT required for evacuees to use the mobile pharmacy. For people who don’t have the information needed to transfer a prescription, the American Red Cross has medical professionals on site to help. source
• Houston:
  • Post office locations where people can pick up their mailed medications. source
  • Smith Clinic, 2525A Holly Hall Street, Houston, Texas, 713-566-3600. One of 16 pharmacy locations in Houston’s Harris Health System network, this location will offer emergency medication refills starting at 8 a.m. CT on Friday, Sept. 1. source
• Rockport:
  • Rockport: H-E-B’s mobile Emergency Response Team stationed at the grocery store’s Rockport location is refilling prescriptions for people. source
  • Small wound care Nextcare Urgent Care in Rockport, 2621 Highway 35 N, the clinic opened Tuesday and has treated more than 40 people for minor injuries. source

Veterans Affairs

List of Veteran medical clinics in Texas (call for status). source

• Veteran Centers around the impacted area are currently closed, except for Corpus Christi. Call the centers directly at 1-877-WAR-VETS for 24 hour assistance:
• Corpus Christi – OPEN as of Tuesday
• Houston Southwest – Closed Tuesday and Wednesday
• Houston West – Closed Tuesday and Wednesday
• Harris County/Spring – Closed Tuesday and Wednesday
• Beaumont – Closed Tuesday
• New Orleans – Closed Tuesday

The VA has activated the Pharmacy Disaster Relief Plan. Eligible veterans with a VA ID Card needing an emergency supply of medications will be able to go to any CVS or HEB pharmacy with a written prescription or active VA prescription bottle to receive a 14-day supply. Veterans needing assistance can also call the Heritage Health Solutions Veterans Help line at 1-866 265-0124. source

Corpus Christi:

• • The McAllen VA Mobile Vet Center is in Corpus Christi to offer counseling services to Veterans and the community affected by Hurricane Harvey.

Temporary Medical Facilities (Shelter Clinics, Field Hospitals)

• Houston:

• • US DHHS 250-bed federal medical station at the George R Brown Convention in Houston, 1001 Avenida De Las Americas, Houston, TX 77010. source
  • Harris County Public Health providing care at the NRG Center shelter, 1 NRG Park, Houston, TX 77054. source Interpreters for 16 languages are available at NRG. source
• Rockport:
  • Free temporary medical clinic set up under the covered driveway of the Nextcare Urgent Care in Rockport, 2621 Highway 35 N. The clinic opened Tuesday. source
  • H-E-B’s mobile Emergency Response Team stationed at the grocery store’s Rockport location is refilling prescriptions for people. source
• Rosenberg:
  • Aug 30: DMAT CT-1 has set up a mobile medical station to provide urgent care. source
• San Antonio:
  • Metro Health is operating medical clinics at each shelter where doctors and nurses are volunteering their time to treat patients. source

Transportation Assistance

• Houston – METROLift – medically necessary transportation only. Service is limited to patrons who need trips to receive dialysis and other life sustaining medical care. Trips should be scheduled one day in advance: 713-225-6716. Due to high call demand, phone delays are possible, and patience is appreciated. Questions: 713-225-0410. source

Needs and How to Help (Blood, Supplies, Volunteers) Donate Blood

• Aug 30: Texas blood banks in dire need of donations source
• To donate blood or platelets, please visit the American Red Cross’ website here for a list of nationwide locations. source
• To find a South Texas location to donate blood, call 210-731-5590 or visit southtexasblood.org. source

Donate Medical Supplies and Equipment

• Trach Mommas 504-723-7193 (working with: Protect TX Fragile Kids, The Parker Lee Project, Advocates for Medically Fragile Kids NC, and Moms of Trach Babies to provide pediatric medical supplies) source

• Specialized medical supplies for people with disabilities are needed, including feeding tubes, tracheostomy tubes and respiratory equipment. Supplies must be unopened, unused, and not expired. How to donate:

• • People in Texas should fill out a form to help the groups plan for a Texas drop-off.
  • Louisiana residents can ship the supplies to Trach Mommas of Louisiana, 11725 Industrialplex Blvd., Suite 3, Baton Rouge, LA 70809.
  • People who live in Washington, D.C., can email contact@littlelobbyists.org for information about how to drop supplies off in Silver Spring, Maryland.
  • People elsewhere can ship supplies to The Parker Lee Project, ATTN: Harvey supplies, 1810 S. Kaufman St., No. 204, Ennis, Texas 75119.
  • Donations should include an itemized list. For more information about what’s needed, contact trachmommas@gmail.com. source
• The Texas Diaper Bank (provides diapers to babies, children with disabilities, and seniors). source
• Direct Relief USA (works with doctors and clinics to provide prescription drugs and other medical supplies). source

Volunteers

• General Information:
  • Medical professionals who want to volunteer can register with the Texas Disaster Volunteer Registry and contact private organizations like the American Red Cross. Please don’t respond on your own. source
  • Out-of-state doctors who want to help: If you are a hospital physician, email http://www.tmb.state.tx.us/page/visiting-physician-temporary-permit. source
  • Volunteering needs map. Includes facilities needing medical volunteers. source
• Volunteer Need Announcements:
  • Aug 31: Houston: Nurses, behavioral therapists and wheelchairs are needed at the George R. Brown Convention Center and other shelters. Contact Maria Town, director of the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities, at source
  • Aug 31: Austin: Interpreters are needed to help with medical translations for evacuees in Austin. Register here. source
  • Aug 30: The New Jersey Hospital Association (NJHA) is looking for volunteer nurses to volunteer for 1-2 weeks in Texas to provide staff relief. They need 30 ICU nurses, 30 ED nurses and 30 med/surg/telemetry nurses. Contact: Aline M. Holmes, DNP, MSN, RN, Senior Vice President, Clinical Affairs, New Jersey Hospital Association, 609-275-4157, source
  • Aug 30: Dallas: Are you a physician who can volunteer at the Mega Shelter clinic in Dallas, TX? Email the Dallas County Medical Society at source
  • Aug 28: San Antonio: Need volunteer physicians, PAs, and nurse practitioners to assist Havey evacuees. Contact Bexar County Medical Society, 210-301-4391 or register online here: https://www.bexarcv.com/secure/bcms/emrprep.htm. source

Healthcare Sector Coordination

• The Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council is running a Catastrophic Medical Operations Center to coordinate hospital/ healthcare evacuations in the southeastern communities in Texas. POC: Darrell Pile, Chief Executive Officer, Phone: 281/822-4444 Email: source

Medical Field Teams in Texas

Situation Updates:

Aug 31:

• FL-1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) has deployed to Texas. source

Aug 30:

• Tennessee nurses – helping staff hospitals. source
• Kentucky Air Guardsmen – conducting aeromedical evacuations. source
• Utah medical disaster response team deployed to Houston. source
• Ringdahl EMS strike team from Minnesota and North Dakota. source
• NY Air National Guard regional medical plans officer heading to Texas on Thursday to help with the evacuation and transportation of patients from local hospitals. source
• PA DMAT deployed to Texas. source
• An Air Force Critical Care Air Transport Team and a supporting logistics team from Keesler Air Force Base in MS arrived at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas, Aug. 30. source

Aug 29:

• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ National Disaster Medical System Team 4 has deployed to Texas. source

Aug 28:

• NM Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) deployed to Texas. source
• Maine DMAT deploying to Texas. source

Aug 25:

• San Diego 48-member Disaster Medical Assistance Team CA-4 deployed to Texas. source
• AMR Texas Operations deployed to the affected area for an initial 7-day deployment. source

Volunteers Reporting

Allyson, Aline, Crystal, Alice, Chris, Cat

Shelters and Evacuation Centers Helpful Links

Find a Shelter:

• Red Cross shelters: website
• For shelter locations and info, call 211.
• TX Hurricane Center list of shelters. source
• Shelter search: Text SHELTER and your zip code to 4FEMA (43362). Example: Shelter 01234. (Standard text message rates apply.) source
• Google map of open shelters. source
• Airbnb has activated its disaster response program. Search for people offering their homes free for evacuees. source

Reunification Hotlines and Websites

• Facebook Safety Check: website
• Red Cross Safe and Well: website
• Contact Loved Ones – free telephone based service: website
• Next of Kin Registry: website

National and State Links

• FEMA: website, twitter, facebook
  • Disaster Assistance application center: website
• NOAA NWS National Hurricane Center: website, twitter, facebook

• Texas Division of Emergency Management: website, twitter
• FEMA Region 6: website, twitter
• Texas Department of Transportation: website, twitter, facebook
• Texas Military Department https://tmd.texas.gov/https://twitter.com/TXMilitary
• Texas Hurricane Center: website
• National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (NVOAD): website

Situation Reports and Maps

• Find Gas Station, available gas nearby http://tracker.gasbuddy.com/
• Texas State Department of Safety Situation Reports source
• FCC Communications Status Report for areas impacted by Harvey. source
• Harvey By The Numbers (Infographic) source
• Help us track flooded streets in Houston (Crowdsource Map) source
• Houston Transtar High Water Locations source
• Texas DOT Current Road Conditions Map source
• TX Department of Public Safety situation reports. source
• TX American Radio Relay League (ARRL) situation reports. source
• Homeland Infrastructure Foundation Level Data (HIFLD), Hurricane Harvey Response. source
• Department of Energy (DOE) situation reports. source
• Healthcare Ready situation reports. source
• Google Crisis Map. source

Animals in Disaster

Resources for Pets and Livestock:

• TX Animal Holding Facilities and Shelters (statewide list). source
• Veterinarians in Texas. source
• Pet friendly hotels in Texas. source
• Pet friendly hotels and motels in Texas. source
• Humane Society of Central Texas: website
• Austin Pets Alive website
• Hurricane Harvey Pets – Lost & Found Houston source
• Hurricane Harvey Lost and Found Pets – Coastal Bend. facebook
• Animal Emergency Response Hotline at 713-861-3010. http://bit.ly/2wRXTXO

Communications During an Emergency:

• Use text messaging, e-mail or social media to let your loved ones know you are okay. Keep it short and simple by only conveying necessary information. By doing so, other people are also able to communicate with their loved ones.
• Avoid making voice calls unless it’s an emergency to prevent clogging the network. Voice calls take up more space on the wireless network and it’s important to minimize unnecessary voice calls so our emergency responders are able to communicate.
  • If you must make a call, keep it short.
  • Also, when making a call, wait 10 seconds before redialing a call to help reduce network congestion. Quickly redialing phone numbers contributes to a clogged network.
• Judiciously use social media to keep you informed as the situation unfolds. This may include using location-based mapping apps for evacuation routes.

Learn more about how to prepare wireless devices during an emergency