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Utilizing 2-1-1 in Disasters

I work for an NGO in Columbus, Ohio. One of the greatest skills we can bring to a disaster is assistance in Emergency Public Informaiton via our 24/7/365 Information and Referral line, 2-1-1. 2-1-1 is an easy, three digit number for citizens to call to get assistance with rent, utilities, food, etc. (during normal operations). During H1N1, we helped citizens schedule their appointments for vaccinations, during extreme heat in 2011, we helped local EMA develop GIS maps of "hot zones" based on zip code data we collect. 2-1-1's are ready to help and have the tools and infrastructure to make an impact.

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Submitted by lfoster 5 months ago

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  1. Status Changed from Pending Approval to Active
    5 months ago
  2. The idea was posted
    5 months ago

Comments (6)

  1. Community Member

    211 is a great resource and allows people to function better. Good resource to work from and develop an IAP.

    5 months ago
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  2. Good Idea Piñata

    Strongly agree. . .

    Lesson learned -- sometimes folks who call 2-1-1 think that they have also registered with FEMA. . . A 2-1-1 initiative needs to be coupled with an aggressive outreach to inform folks that 2-1-1 does not get them registered. . .

    5 months ago
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  3. Daniel Hahn MA, CEM, FPEM

    Problem is the cost of 2-1-1. We have a large county with a non profit that has 2-1-1 and they want to run this for the region so they offered like non profits in other counties the opportunitiy to pay several dollars per phone call answered. A couple of the adjacent counties said they would answer their own phones to keep costs lower. Hence we do not all have 2-1-1 ..... costs too much.

    5 months ago
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  4. quidam

    Yes as they say KISS, information to all is key, a simple number to remember is a god idea suppose a child had to help an adult 2-1-1 is a good idea

    5 months ago
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  5. David Nuttle

    I suggest that those operating the 2-1-1 networks also be responsible for operating reverse 9-1-1 networks. With both systems, you can receive situation reports, and then provide community alerts when a developing/ pending emergency or disaster is discovered. Networks need to be large so the individual membership fee is small, but total revenue is enough to pay for both systems.

    4 months ago
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    1. lfoster

      David,

      I agree, it would be an interesting experiment to see a 2-1-1 call center run the reverse 9-1-1 program as well. Are you familiar with any areas in the country that are structured like this? We send call reports to our county EMA on a daily basis during an event. They take our data and map it out on GIS to help develop situational awareness.

      4 months ago
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