Real-Time Communications

Warning Systems

Multiple types of warning systems continue to be created and advanced. Systematic monitoring, assessment, and forecasting of crises enables appropriate, efficient, and effective communication strategies during risk and crisis situations. Warning systems allow community, state, national, and international response agencies to proactively allocate resources in an effort to mitigate the extent of the potential or experienced crisis, as well as alert the public of precautions to reduce potential harm. Several types of complex systems are necessary to most efficiently and effectively communicate various types of warnings.

In circumstances of severe weather such as thunderstorms, tornadoes, and blizzards, warnings are dependent upon the length of advance notice and expected severity of the storm. Early warnings may be issued several days prior to a projected storm, whereas flash warnings signal an expected storm to occur in the near future. Advisory forecasts use tiers of warning and corresponding colors to clearly communicate level and severity of risk, ranging from no warnings to alerts that severe weather is occurring.

Natural disaster warning systems use raw sensory data to foresee crises and project realistic outcomes. Sensory data monitoring of the geological patterns of earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions allow more timely anticipation and response for emergency personnel and the public.

Warnings are also necessary in times of industrial, radiological, medical, and worldwide political crises. These warning systems enable strategic anticipation and response, as well as assessment of the risks of various crisis response. Communication of each event includes up-to-date details to keep the public informed and educated in appropriate response strategies.

Community Notification Systems

The implementation of interactive community notification systems, such as Reverse 911, facilitates the flow of time-critical information. These systems enable a rapid dissemination of pre-recorded emergency notifications through phone lines within minutes, thus saving message delivery time for emergency personnel and maximizing response time for citizens. Common emergency notifications sent through Reverse 911 systems include alert messages concerning missing children, endangered adults, area-specific crime alerts, evacuations, fire and flood warnings, and other information on critical events.

Despite its long history as a broadcast technology, decreased federal regulations, and reduction in funding, radio broadcasts continue to be viewed as an effective channel for real-time messages in the midst of crises. The ability to disseminate crucial information even in the midst of power outages, an obstacle often associated with crisis situations that limit the capabilities of other news sources, positions radio stations as a dependable resource. Given its accessibility, mobility, and simplicity, radio allows individuals to access information in order to respond to the risk or crisis. Two notable examples of the use of radio for real-time messages in the midst of a disaster are the flooding in the Red River Valley in North Dakota in 1997, and the flooding throughout the Midwest in 2008.

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