City to use social media for hurricane prep info

Both the city of Boca Raton and Palm Beach County will rely on social media to get the word out about hurricane preparation plans, and in some cases even after a storm hits.

“We are really pushing people to go to social media. That’s what people turn to in other states that have had big natural disasters,” said Nicole Gasparri, Boca Raton’s emergency manager since 2005.

“As of June 1, we will put the hurricane information and video on the front page and that hurricane section will link to the hurricane preparation guide. It will stay there through Nov. 30,” she said about the start and end of hurricane season.

The city stopped printing copies a few years ago for budget concerns. Residents can print out the information from the city website or call the city and ask for emergency management.

“We would end up printing one and mailing it to them,” Gasparri said. “We want to get people engaged now, so if there’s an emergency, they’re already engaged.”

“The city has 18 Facebook pages and many Twitter accounts, too,” said communications and marketing manager Chrissy Gibson. Visit http://mybocalink.com/social-media-index/.

“We will be offering tips and suggestions for planning in the coming weeks on social media, such as trimming trees, stocking up on batteries, making a plan,” she said. “In addition, we are printing a handy magnet for people to have as a reference. It includes phone numbers, web address, social media sites and TV and radio channels.”

The magnets will be available at the Downtown and Spanish River libraries, some city events, the One Stop Service center and the city’s community centers, Gibson said.

The city’s Citizens Information Center is a call center at 561-982-4900.

“Right now that has a recording, but if we’re in the cone,” the center will be activated and staffed with at least 10 people, Gasparri said.

The county’s main source for hurricane prep information and action is Readypbc.org.

“We keep that up-to-date, and it shows people where their evacuation zone is, if they are in an evacuation zone, and goes through the four steps of making a plan,” said Mike Resto, an emergency management specialist. “We try to push the public to that site because it goes through each step of preparedness.”

That site also includes a newly redesigned free app called PBCDART. The app automatically updates information, from reporting damage to locating the closest open shelter.

“Our preparedness tools allow people to get information specific to them,” Resto said. “Just this season we have made changes to our hurricane zone.”

The names of zones have changed so they’re not confused with categories of hurricanes. They’re now called levels.

“It’s all done based on the geography of the area,” he said. “We wanted to dissociate the category of the surge, the evacuation level from the category of the storm. Surge and wind speed are two different hazards.”

The county has a Facebook page and a Twitter account at hashtag PBCDEM. “We run that day-to-day, talking about what we’re doing to prepare and what the public can do to prepare,” Resto said.

“We have a few things in print, including a Palm Beach County bookmark that points people to the website, and we have a checklist of all the materials you need in your office,” he said. “We give them out when people ask and we mail small quantities.”

People can pick them up at Palm Beach County Division of Emergency Management, 20 S. Military Trail, in West Palm Beach, particularly if they need copies for homeowner association groups, he said. Residents can call 561-712-6400 and ask for the materials they want.

Once a storm hits, that number becomes the emergency operations center.

“Our public affairs staff takes it over during a hurricane to release emergency information,” Resto said.

Ch. 20 and 1650 AM are the public TV and radio channels that will broadcast information in Boca in case of a storm, Gasparri said.

How will Boca residents know where to go first?

“We want them to turn to us first and then to the county,” she said, adding safety and services are the city’s priorities. “So, if they are on the barrier island, we encourage them to evacuate for their own safety.”