For coastal communities around the U.S., hurricanes are a common occurrence, with some years being more catastrophic than others. For example, 2017 was the 17th-deadliest mainland hurricane season in the U.S. since 1900. For the 2018 hurricane season, which extends June 1 – November 30, NOAA forecasters predict a 75 percent chance the season will be near-or-above normal.
The bottom line is that it’s never too late to prepare for a hurricane, and whether your organization already has an existing emergency communications plan or you need to start one from scratch, it’s crucial to have a plan in place before disaster strikes.
Every plan should include a dependable, easy-to-use mass notification system (MNS) like Regroup Mass Notification. With a MNS in place, organizations can enhance emergency communications, maintain operational continuity, and keep people safe should the worst arrive. As you consider the right MNS for your organization, make sure the selected platform offers:
Automated Alerting
Automated alerting accelerates transmission of critical alerts and reduces the margin for human error in your emergency notification process For example, Regroup’s QuickPost templates allow for the creation of pre-written messages, such as evacuation orders or shelter-in-place instructions, that can post automatically should an emergency arise.
Federal Alerting Technology Integration
The ability to send and receive advance severe weather warnings, storm updates and all-clear messages from federal alert systems like FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert & Warning System (IPAWS), the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is crucial. Make sure your MNS can automatically broadcast these messages through multiple communication channels.
Geo-Targeted Messaging
Sending timely alerts to recipients inside or outside specified areas on a map is crucial during emergencies. Regroup’s GeoFence messaging empowers organizations to alert recipients with specific messages when they are located inside or outside of specified areas on a map. Regroup is also the only MNS to offer the option to add entry and exit messages for people who are traveling into and out of those selected areas.
Protection Against Local Infrastructure Failures
Enabling recipients to receive messages via push notification in addition to SMS ensures everyone receives your crucial communications even when cell towers and local networks fail. Regroup makes this possible through the free AlertMe app that is available to anyone with an iOS or Android device.
Situational Intelligence Through Enhanced Replies
Ensure that your MNS allows two-way communication between you and your recipients. Regroup’s enhanced replies functionality means your organization can ask for status updates or request responses through a variety of channels and recipients can respond quickly and easily from wherever they are. This allows administrators and safety personnel to determine the status of employees, gather on-the-scene reports, and confirm availability of critical personnel.
Post-Hurricane Recovery Support
Emergency preparedness, including a dependable mass communications plan, is crucial in post-recovery efforts. As part of our commitment to our clients, Regroup issued a 6-month credit to all Puerto Rico clients to aid in their ongoing efforts to recover after Hurricane Maria in September 2017. A dependable mass notification tool is an important component of recovery efforts, but many of Regroup’s Puerto Rico clients at the time had been unable, or found it difficult, to pay for the use of Regroup’s service since the hurricane. By providing a reliable, cloud-based mass communications platform, Regroup is assisting those who most need to coordinate internal and external teams to meet specific key requirements that result from a natural disaster. With our system in place, your organization can also have the communication tools you need to recover faster and get back to normal operations as soon as possible.
Download a Hurricane Preparedness Checklist
Waiting until a hurricane is headed your way is the worst time to discover gaps in existing preparedness plans, or start creating one from scratch. You may not be able to control the weather, but you can control your organization’s ability to respond to the most severe weather events — including hurricanes.
For more on how to protect your organization in the event of a hurricane, and to access a checklist to help you plan your organization’s response to a hurricane, click on the button below to download our Hurricane Preparedness Guide and Checklist.
About Regroup
Regroup Mass Notification is an award-winning provider of mass communication solutions committed to providing effective, reliable tools for alerting and protecting communities during times of crisis, including hurricanes. Learn more about how Regroup can help organizations quickly and efficiently share critical information — both life-threatening and day-to-day — call 775-476-8710, visit Regroup.com or email inquiries@regroup.com.