Editorial: DC's Websites Get an F for Emergency Information

When it comes to getting emergency information to DC residents, the District of Columbia Government's websites fail.

As we prepare for Hurricane Sandy, take a look at the DC government's main website, dc.gov. You'll see a slide show of Mayor Gray, with numerous self-promoting articles about our mayor. There are a few links to general information about Hurricane Sandy off to the side, but these links lead to out-of-date and mostly useless information, including a press release from Saturday with the headline, "Mayor Gray, Public Safety Officials and Other District Leaders to Brief Media on Preparations for Hurricane Sandy Tomorrow."

City agency websites don't do any better. The Department of Transportation's website, ddot.dc.gov, leads with this headline, "DDOT is adding paint to make bike lanes more visible." The Department of Public Works website, www.dpw.dc.gov, is just as useless. There's no information about where the DC government is giving out sandbags and no information about trash pickup during the storm.  The most recent headline on DPW's website is "DPW to Observe Columbus Day, Mon., Oct. 8." When DPW changed the location today, Sunday, for sandbag pickup to Coolidge High School (6315 5th Street, NW from 10am to 6pm), you didn't see that announcement on their website. The District of Columbia's Homeland Security and Emergency Management's Agency's website, www.hsema.dc.gov, is also pathetic when it comes to providing information that's actually useful during a current emergency. (WMATA's website, www.wmata.com, is better and actually tells you what is happening with Metro during Hurricane Sandy.)

The DC government encourages people to follow their various agencies on Twitter for up-to-date information, but we shouldn't have to follow a half dozen DC government agencies in the hope of seeing important information, before that 140 character announcement is pushed out of view by other tweets.  Even if you follow a city agency on Twitter, that doesn't mean that they'll be up-to-date with important or urgent information. It was Andrea Roane of WUSA-TV, Channel 9, who called DPW to ask if trash collection would be suspended on Monday and then tweeted about it. (Yes, trash and recycling pickups are suspended on Monday.) This is the kind of information that DC should put on its website during an emergency, rather than featuring glossy publicity photos of elected officials.

Compare DC's website to New York City's: www.nyc.gov. Or to Wilmington, Delaware's: www.ci.wilmington.de.us. When it comes to getting emergency information to its citizens, those cities' websites aren't a useless embarrassment, as the District of Columbia's website is.  We should be able to go to DC.gov to find out what's happening during an emergency. It's time for the DC government to fix this. It's not hard to do and it's very important.

After Sandy has passed there will be plenty of debate about what we could have done better. But there is no question that the city must make its websites better.

Bill Adler and Peggy Robin

Publishers, All Life Is Local

The Cleveland Park Listserv

www.cleveland-park.com

DC's Emergency Alert System Is Broken, But It Can Be Fixed

by Bill Adler
Tweeting at @billadler

When I started to follow DC Homeland Security on Twitter, I had high hopes. I wanted to be alerted to emergencies, plain and simple. Things like tornado watches, bomb scares, widespread power outages. Instead, DC Homeland Security,  @DC_HSEMA, is mostly traffic bulletins. For that I can turn on AM radio.

Alert DC, the District of Columbia's emergency email notification system, isn't any better. Alert DC describes itself this way: "The Alert DC system provides rapid text notification and update information during a major crisis or emergency." But what is it? Again, mostly street closure announcements. Here's what Alert DC sent out this morning: "Street Closure: Automobile accident with injuries on Southbound 295 at the Pennsylvania Ave Exit both lanes are blocked at this time. Please use an alternate route to avoid delays." Hardy an emergency.

This is notification creep, and it happens often. A system starts out with the best of intentions. Then, for a variety of reasons, including that it isn't sending out many messages, the system adds features to its mission. And then these new features crowd out the network's original --and important-- purpose.

There may be some question about whether something's an emergency or not: Perhaps that suspicious package found at the Capitol South Metro station constitutes an emergency, perhaps, not. But notices like the one that Alert DC sent out a couple of weeks ago, "Update in reference to motor vehicle accident at Georgia Avenue and Piney Branch Avenue NW; the accident is cleared and streets are open to traffic," definitely don't fall into the category of being an emergency.  (You can get traffic alerts from the District's Department of Transportation, or by visiting DDOT's website.)

DC Homeland Security's Twitter feed and Alert DC's email notices are now mostly useless services, at least as far as emergency notices go. What few emergency notices are sent out by DC HSEMA and Alert DC are lost in the clutter of street closures and other non-vital announcements. What DC HSEMA and Alert DC need to do is simple and straightforward: stop sending out traffic messages and alerts that are not an emergency. DC's Emergency alert system should have a single purpose: emergencies.

Recommended: Doctor Who Can See You Now

Our companion email list, the Cleveland Park Listserv, is a treasure trove of recommendations. We want to share on All Life Is Local, on a periodic basis, the best recommendations that have been posted on the Cleveland Park Listserv. You'll be able to search All Life Is Local for "contractor," "plumber," "computer tech," "auto body shop" -- whatever you need.


My family goes to Doctors Kerry and Michael Gray. They are a husband and wife team who run a walk-in clinic in Bethesda across from Bethesda Sport and Health. It's at  4314 Montgomery Avenue, on the one-way street that runs parallel to East West Highway. You can go anytime during business hours and some time on Saturday. The downside is sometimes there is a long wait. Kerry Gray has become our family doctor. We love her and she takes Blue Cross. Call the office at 301-951-3606 for more information.

Get Prepared for Winter Emergencies at Free Seminar on Saturday

With a cold snap upon us, it's wise to be prepare for winter emergencies. Do you have an emergency check-list? Not sure? The Emergency Preparedness Seminar at Iona House Senior Center on Saturday will tell you everything you need to know. 

What:  Winter Preparedness Seminar

Where:  Iona Senior Center, 4125 Albemarle Street, NW

When:  Saturday, January 15 from 1:00 to 3:00pm

Learn how to plan for emergencies and how to practice and maintain an emergency plan. The Northwest Neighbors Village is sponsoring this event. 

The seminar is free; reservations are suggested. Call 202-237-1895.

Neighborhood Groups Can Learn Disaster Preparedness

Are you part of a neighborhood watch program, Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), neighborhood association, or civic group? Your group can receive free training and participate in online preparedness exercises to improve your community's response to a natural disaster or other type of emergency.

A team of national, regional and state organizations invites all of these types of groups to participate in one of the scheduled disaster "tabletop exercises" being run via the internet.  These exercises have been designed specifically for organizations that work to support the disaster-caused needs of neighborhood residents during an emergency.

By participating in one or several of these exercises you will be able to assess your organization's existing disaster response capabilities.

There is no charge for participation in any of the exercises.

Six distinctive exercise scenarios are available.

• Earthquake
• Flood
• Hurricane
• Influenza Pandemic
• Tornado
• Wildfire

For additional information and to register please visit the Disaster Resistant Communities website. If you have questions, please contact Chris Floyd, chrisfloyd at drc-group.com.

What to Do If a Body Part Comes Off

I have to admit this was a very, very hard article to read. But it's a good one and an important one. And worth reading because there may come a time when something really bad happens to you or to somebody you're with. Stuff happens to people, either on purpose (remember John Bobbitt? -- and if you don't, then read about him here), or by accident. Fingers, teeth, even eyes, don't always stay where they belong. And what you think you know about dealing with this kind of emergency is probably wrong. (Don't put knocked-out teeth in milk for instance; keep fingers cold, but not frozen.) Read the article it and keep it handy.

And it's always a good idea to have a first aid kit at home.