Disasters are becoming more frequent and more devastating. Our team rarely goes for more than a few days without being alerted to a natural disaster occurring somewhere in the world.
Just last week on January 20th, the central coastal of California was shaken by a moderate earthquake on the San Andreas Fault measuring 4.4 on the Richter scale. While moderate, this quake and others – like the Haiti earthquake for which we just observed its 10-year anniversary, and the northern California Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989 – are reminders that personal and city-wide preparedness is vital for communities and regions around the globe.
Like San Francisco and the greater Bay Area, cities today are at the forefront of innovation with engaged leaders and citizens actively tackling resiliency plans for disasters, and they are finding that technology plays an increasingly important role.
Information Access Challenges
Every disaster situation is unique and presents its own set of complex challenges, yet there are trends we see in most every situation. Consistently, access to information and two-way communication capabilities are often the first to be disrupted, which are critical to relief operations and citizens who need to connect with others and access potentially lifesaving resources. Following a disaster, information is viewed as important as food, water, and shelter, and that is where technology can help – especially when tech experts across the industry come together to deliver solutions that directly meet challenges.
Preparedness for Safer Cities
The following are a few ways technology supports access to information during a disaster.
- Resource Management. Increasing numbers of agencies, organizations, private sector companies, and citizens mobilize to support response efforts, which means increased information sharing. Interoperable technology tools can help synthesize information to assist responders with routing resources and aid where they are most needed.
- Cloud Computing. Natural disasters frequently cause disruptions to local IT infrastructure which is especially needed during an emergency. Utilizing the cloud supports operations continuity by ensuring that mission-critical services such as email, calendars, and web apps remain available even if local machines are lost.
- Mobility. Response operations are more efficient when responders have the ability to pick up any device and have instant access to information, data, and applications that follow them and flow seamlessly.
While technology tools that provide such capabilities are important, reliable connectivity that enables their function is a necessity. A recent example, during Typhoon Haiyan we collaborated across the technology industry to deploy TV White Space radios to enable Internet connectivity for impacted citizens. Microsoft also played a key role in the deployment of three emergency.lu connectivity kits with Skype low bandwidth enabling communications for 5,000 humanitarian aid workers.
Click here to learn about TV White Space.
Preparedness for Safer Citizens
There are several technologies people use every day that can become critical assets during natural disasters, as well as a number of steps citizens can take to be prepared.
Here are some ways you can use technology to prepare right now for the unexpected.
- Make a kit. In addition to the basic recommended supplies such as first aid kit and food & water, be sure to include a charger for your mobile device, a portable power bank charger in case you can’t get to an outlet, and an old cell phone should something happen to your primary phone. If you have an extra laptop or tablet include it and be sure it is charged.
- Make a plan with loved ones who reside both inside and outside the area in case you can’t reach those who are local. You can use this emergency plan template and back it up to the cloud with a resource like OneDrive so it will be accessible during an emergency. Be sure to also back up things like insurance documents, birth certificates, medical information, and personal files like photos.
- Add emergency manager accounts to your Twitter feed to stay informed and sign up for Twitter Alerts.
Another resource specific to the Bay Area is SF72.org, created by the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management. The service culls input from local community members and offers current and relevant information on things like weather and maps, in addition to community data feeds and emergency preparedness guidance.
Looking Ahead
I continue to be inspired by how the aftermath of natural disasters brings out the best in individuals, communities and organizations. No matter how challenging it may seem, we again and again see individuals and organizations from disparate communities and industries rapidly partner together and look to bring relief as efficiently and as quickly as possible. To that end, we continue to focus on working across boundaries together to create a future where innovations in technology – be it open data sharing, connected devices, or what has yet to be seen – give responders, cities and citizens greater access to information, confidence to respond quicker and more safely and ultimately save and strengthen the lives of those affected by natural disasters.
Follow us on Twitter at @MsftResponse or visit www.microsoft.com/disasterresponse to learn more.
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Tony Surma is CTO and Senior Director for Microsoft Disaster Response. He is responsible for the world-wide team and program at Microsoft focused on delivering technologies and technical assistance to communities, responders and customers both in response to natural disasters and in support of proactive resiliency efforts.
