Communications: Street Plan

At the Street Level your communication systems will facilitate communication among neighbors and between your street and the local Disaster Hub.

Step 1. Designate a Communication Specialist and a backup (in case the first is away or injured) for your street. This person will be in charge of managing communications within your street, with other streets in your neighborhood, and between your street and the local Disaster Hub.

Step 2. The Communication Specialist should identify a few physically fit neighbors to be runners or bike messengers during a disaster. These people will relay messages back and forth between your street and the Disaster Hub. Use the Ready Your Street DIHN (Damage, Injury, Hazards, and Needs) Report to share with the Disaster Hub the status of your Street. The types of messages you might get from the Disaster Hub include disaster updates from the Emergency Operations Center, warnings, information about food and water distribution, and emergency evacuation orders.

Step 3. Add handheld radios to your emergency supplies. You and your neighbors will use these to communicate after a disaster. They will be especially important if residences are far apart. The Street Captain at the Meeting Place may need to communicate with the Triage Specialist who is assessing an injury four buildings away, for example. Or the Street Captain may need to provide a status report to the bike messenger who is at the Disaster Hub.

Step 4. If possible, include a ham radio in your equipment and have someone trained in using it. You can use the ham radio to communicate directly with the Disaster Hub communications team. Report to the Disaster Hub with updates on injuries, damage, and resource needs. Use the Ready Your Street DIHN (Damage, Injury, Hazards, and Needs) Report.