by Kelly Hubbard
Emergency Manager, WEROC

“The further we are from the last disaster,” author Daniel Silva warned, “the closer we are to the next.”

Truer words may never have been spoken and it is why acting now to create your “Dark Disaster Webpage” can be so important to you and your community.  Now, this is not related to the nefarious realm of the dark web, nor a soon to be released Sci-Fi movie where sharks fly out of your computer’s screen.

Rather, a Dark Disaster Webpage is your agency’s offline, pre-designed webpage that is ready to be “turned-on” publically during a disaster to share critical information. These webpages are an essential part of an agency’s communication plan, will help protect your community, and will assist with your financial recovery processes.

If your agency does not have this webpage developed, now is the time to take action and this guide will help.  For those that have one prepared, congratulations and you can use this guide when reviewing your page.

The best designed Dark Disaster Webpages all include three primary components: (1) the basics of the disaster incident; (2) protective actions the community should take; and (3) how your community can get and help provide more information.  And see the technical tips section for website design considerations.

Incident Basics: Start with briefly confirming the nature of the disaster including the location of the incident, what the known facts are, who is in charge of the response, and what actions the agency is taking to restore the community to normal.

This could be in many formats, such as an incident summary, links to press releases, or downloadable situation status updates.

Protective Actions: Next, and most critical, highlight any actions the community should take to stay safe, to protect their health, or to receive essential services.  Agencies will want to consider any special populations within their community who may need specific support, such as the elderly, disabled, persons with home medical equipment, children, non-English population, etc.

This particular section must be displayed prominently on the webpage to ensure the public sees the information quickly without having to search for it.

More Information:  Include how residents can get more information, request additional assistance or help confirm the damage they see. This may include agency phone numbers, a hotline number, social media pages, or maybe a Q&A sheet.

But how else can an agency’s Dark Disaster Webpage assist with emergency response and fiscal recovery?  First, your site can provide a source of fiscal and governmental policy transparency.  Moreover, it can enlist the community in the damage assessment processes and can support documentation for financial reimbursement.

Fiscal and Governmental Policy Transparency: All government agencies should have pre-approved, publically highlighted ordinances or policies that outline their disaster response and purchasing authorities.  This can help coordination with other disaster response partners (like other government agencies, hospitals, non-profits, etc.).

These typically include an immediate disaster proclamation process followed by official governing board ratification at the next scheduled meeting.

These should also provide for Executive Management’s higher purchasing limits to get the resources to respond to a disaster without unnecessary delays (NOTE. Be sure to read Disaster Preparedness 101 also in this month’s special edition about synching your emergency policies with FEMA and CalOES).

Community Damage Assessment Reporting: Significant disasters can make it hard for responders to properly assess the impacts because of the sheer amount of damages, the duration of the incident, or even a lack of physical access to all areas.  And, as we know, having accurate and timely knowledge of what damages have occurred will: (1) impact what outside resources are available to a local jurisdiction; (2) to what extent Public Assistance (government agency reimbursement) will be received; and (3) if Individual Assistance (low-interest loans for residents who have been impacted) will be made available.

Several agencies have found ways to effectively engage the community in the damage assessment process, using their agency’s website and social media pages.

For example, one Southern California City’s police dispatch center was being inundated with phone calls regarding down trees following a winter storm. In response, the City implemented an online and social media process for residents to self-report down trees and general damages; receiving information that included the location, impacts and photos. This reporting process reduced non-emergency calls to the City’s 911 center, helped the agency to track and prioritize damages that required response, and provided a mechanism to document damages and response efforts that potentially could be reimbursed.

It is important to note that any method to collect information during a disaster and all social media pages should stress that 911 should be called for immediate life safety needs.  

Documentation for Reimbursement: Last but not least, an agency’s Dark Disaster Website can provide useful documentation in the fiscal process following a disaster. Not only can reporting mechanisms provide date and time stamps for submittal of damages or information, but many social media platforms also have geo-location information built into their platforms that can be accessed or shown in your documentation.  All of these communication tools can contribute to your agency’s documentation of damages, response actions, policy decisions and costs, all of which will be critical in financial reimbursement processes.

Yes, the main purpose of a Dark Disaster Page should be to protect your community by communicating critical information to constituents in a timely manner. However, if your agency is going to go through the process of developing such a page, why not take the opportunity to consider how it can be used as a tool in the disaster financial process?

These are just some of the key ideas I have collected from my peers within emergency management and through my own experiences. So think about what other ways you can leverage your agency’s communication tools to assist you as the Financial Officer in successfully navigating disaster finance and reimbursement?

Technical TIPS and Considerations for a Dark Disaster Webpage:

  • The page should be formatted to look similar to your agency’s regular main page in terms of logo and overall design, but should have significantly less day-to-day content. Essentially you want the page to be very clean with no clutter so it is easy for the public to see the critical information they need.
  • The design should allow for additional information about the disaster to be added easily by PIO staff in the EOC throughout the event. Consider utilizing a Message Map type format or pre-approved message template built into the design so that staff are prompted to provide all needed information in each update.
  • The webpage needs to be mobile ready and quick to load. Communications may be limited due to damages and people may be evacuated from their homes or offices with only their phone for information.
  • Talk with your IT Department ahead of time about your websites overall capacity for viewing traffic. You don’t want your webpage to crash when people need it most.
  • It may be easier to update social media pages more often, than your agency’s webpage. In those cases, the Dark Disaster Webpage can simply direct people to the agency’s social media for the most current updates, along with some phone numbers for more specific information or for those not on social media.
  • If using social media, especially if it is your primary communication tool or you are using it to collect information from the community, make sure your Social Media team is ready to truly monitor and respond to the community via these forums.
  • Lastly, I’ll repeat again – it is important to note that any method to collect information during a disaster and all social media pages, should stress that 911 should be called for immediate life safety needs.

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Kelly Hubbard is the Emergency Manager for WEROC, a mutual assistance water and wastewater utilities group that provides coordination and support for 35 agencies’ throughout the emergency management cycle. She works with government agencies of all disciplines to increase awareness of water utilities’ role in emergency response and to build partnerships for response. She is a California Water/Wastewater Agency Response Network mutual aid coordinator. Kelly has responded to 13 Presidentially Declared Disasters and other none declared events, filling the roles of Utility Liaison, Water Coordinator, Public Works Branch Coordinator, EOC Manager, Local Assistance Center Manager, Logistics Chief, and Evacuation Center Manager. Ms. Hubbard has a Master’s of Science in Emergency Services Administration from California State University, Long Beach.

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