By Hector Cisneros
Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons |
There you are glued
to your TV set, computer, tablet or smartphone watching the blow by blow coverage
of a natural disaster happening in your area. It doesn’t matter if it’s a hurricane,
flood, earthquake, solar flares, freak storm or a combination of these events, your
world has changed for the worst. However, today's
disaster recovery efforts are much faster
and better than just ten years ago. Today we receive disaster warning
much earlier than before. News coverage is widespread and available on most digital
devices; Social Media and the Internet allows
us to connect and communicate with friends, family and even work as we move to recover
from such devastating events. In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will explore new technologies, online
services and digital capabilities that make terrible disasters a little less terrifying
and provide help and hope to the many who have been affected by such horrendous
calamities. So, read on and share this with your friends and family as we learn
how the internet and digital tech is helping mitigate natural disasters.
Having a Plan - First, make sure you have a plan and make sure you have created a
Courtesy of Flickr |
Your Disaster Preparedness
Kit Should Include: Water - one
gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation.
Food -
at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food. Battery-powered or hand-cranked
radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert. Flashlight. First aid kit. Extra
batteries. Whistle to signal for help. Dust mask, to help filter contaminated air,
along with plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place.
Moist Towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation. Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities. Manual can opener for food. Local maps. Cell
phone with chargers and a backup battery. The link also has other great suggestions and additional
lists as well, so check it out if you don’t already have a disaster preparedness
kit. Top items I recommend are smartphones, tablets and laptop computers.
Making sure Your Internet Connection Survives
- First and foremost, for
any of these digital devices to help, they must survive the natural disaster. All
electronic equipment, whether it’s a smart TV, computer, tablet or smartphone are
sensitive to moisture, being
hit or dropped,
getting too hot, cold, being exposed to solar radiation or too much electrical power.
So, your first order of business is making sure you have ways to protect your digital
connections to the world by being able to place at least one digital device in a
protective container that protects it from all the above issues. A fire proof box will help, but some of them are not waterproof. They also will not shield
your devices from a solar flare. Currently, I use a fireproof safe, and I put one of my spare smartphones in a waterproof case and stick the case
in an EMP/solar flare-proof bag, then stick the bag in my safe along with important
insurance papers. You can find all kinds of water tight boxes and bags for smartphones
and tablets and EMP bags can be had on eBay and Amazon for as little as $20.
You can also find fireproof bags starting around $20 as well, but they are not as
good as a fireproof safe. The safe, on the other
hand, will set you back at least $40 with bigger models designed to withstand
more heat longer starting at around $80 to $100. You can also invest a more robust
digital device like a military grade laptop, tablet or smartphone. Samsung’s latest
Galaxy tablet is also a higher grade of civilian
tech for a little less money.
Courtesy of Flickr |
Courtesy of Max Pixel |
If you are hunkered
down in your house, I suggest buying several UPS battery backup devices. A good
one will run around $100 each, but it will
keep a smart TV or computer running for about 2 to 3 hours. On the other hand, it
can recharge your smartphone or tablet about 15 to 30 times.
Other alternative
power devices like a solar cell array or small generator will start at around
$110. Harbor freight has a 100-watt array that comes with everything you need for
around $150. It includes four 25-watt panels, a charger, a couple of DC lights and
all the wiring. All you need to add is a big battery. Harbor Freight also offers
generators that run-in price anywhere from $110 for a small 700-watt unit to
$700 for a 3000-watt Generator that has a built-in inverter for producing clean
electricity that works well with electronics. Small wind generators are also available
that produce around 400 watts and come in at under $400 as well. One last thing. Always follow the direction when using a generator!
Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons |
Now let’s look at
how the internet has helped people who are experiencing the devastation of a natural
disaster like a hurricane Harvey or Irma. If you were watching the TV news coverage, you
should have noticed that this year the news channels were bringing you live feeds
while the disasters were happening. While watching the news, I saw live internet feeds from Barbuda, Key West, Sanibel Island
and a dozen other places because the News channels can log into live video feeds
all over the world. Also, most of the analog
TV and Radio stations now have internet enabled channels that are accessible from
any smart device, especially your smartphone
(aka handheld computer). Check out this article by NPR.org called -“Connecting To The Internet,
And The World, Post-Disaster.”
Social Media to the Rescue - Social
media has become the GOTO SOS net for the masses as well. People are reconnecting after storms and other natural disasters via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
and other digital platforms that work on smartphones.
People have been able to find lost loved ones, pets, friends and family by going
to the Facebook page or Twitter account. Check out this article on TechRadar called - “dealing with disaster - how social media is helping save the
world” and in Scientific American
”how social media is changing
disaster response.”
Let’s not leave
the government out of the mix either. Today when a natural disaster occurs, FEMA
moves in with their military-grade portable
communication command centers to coordinate the recovery services offered by the
government. These command centers come with satellite uplinks to the internet
along with direct radio and microwave transmission communications so that even if
the local communication infrastructure is destroyed, they can still coordinate their
efforts. The FEMA website has a great article to help people plan and cope with
all kinds of natural disasters, especially coping with the stress you might have
to deal with during the aftermath. Check out these two articles - “ready.gov/coping-with-disaster” and “fema.gov/coping-disaster”
A Few Last Tips - Before I provide you with my reference
list of useful articles. You must get prepared way before the storm hits. Often,
when you go looking for an item locally (like a generator) they are gone as soon
as the news mentions a storm is coming. However, with as much as 4 days warning
coming in from the National Weather Center, you can order many of the items I mentioned
in this article from Amazon or eBay in a couple of days (next day or in 2-days with
Amazon Prime).
This is another way the internet is making a difference. Conserve power as
much as possible. Unplug anything you are not using. Only use one digital device
or TV during the event to keep up with the status of the event.
Courtesy of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base |
Also, be very careful where you go right after the event. Flooded areas are particularly dangerous because of hidden objects, snakes and downed electrical wires. If at all possible, wait a day before wandering around. Give the authorities a chance to assess damage, clear major debris and get the power turned back on.
While researching
this blog, I came across some very useful articles that would take up too much time
to mention individually. However, I have decided to include them as reference articles here and on the notes
page. Take your time and read these as well because they are filled with useful information on this subject.
- brookings.edu - Coping with Disaster and Preparing for the Future: An On-the-Ground View of Japan’s Earthquake Recovery Effort
- tdc.missouri.edu/doc/products/disaster_media_factsheet_for_parents_dcc.pdf
- mentalhealthamerica.net/ - Coping With The Stress Of Natural Disasters
- First Monday - How the Internet is Used to Prepare for, Manage and Share Information about Emergencies
- huffingtonpost.com/ - How The Internet Of Everything Is Helping Humankind
- palmbeachpost.com/ - Hurricane Matthew: Here's how to use the internet when you don't have access to the internet
- qz.com/ - Ten ways to make your cell phone last for days even if Hurricane Harvey takes out the power
- fdic.gov/n - Frequently Asked Questions for Bank Customers in Areas Affected by Hurricane Harvey
When I started to research this article, little did I know i would have to put all of my suggestion into action. By the time I published this article, Jacksonville was recovering from hurricane Irma. After reading this
article about how the internet is helping people deal with natural disasters, It is my hope that you share it with friends and
family so that they can take advantage of what the internet now provides in the
way of better planning and communications. The links in this article will also help
you cope with the stress leading up to and through a major disaster like a hurricane,
flood, earthquake or solar flare. Please heed the warning when they are issued and
above all be safe.
This article discusses
how the internet has changed how we prepare, deal with and recover before, during
and after natural disasters like hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, solar flares and
freak storms. This article provides information on how to plan, what equipment will
help you stay connected to the internet and how to use the internet to mitigate
disasters. Videos and other reference links are included.
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Hector Cisneros is COO and Director of Social
Media Marketing at Working
the Web to Win, an award-winning Internet marketing company
based in Jacksonville, Florida. He is also co-host of the weekly
Internet radio show, "Working
the Web to Win" on BlogTalkRadio.com, which airs every
Tuesday at 4 p.m. Eastern. Hector is a syndicated writer and published author
of “60
Seconds to Success.”
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