Planning Ahead

Emergency management Web sites are a key piece in the disaster mitigation puzzle, providing a valuable tool to help emergency management agencies inform the public about impending disasters, evacuation efforts, and other preparedness, response and recovery details.

But do these sites provide the information citizens need, or present it in a streamlined way that people can access? Not necessarily, according to a study conducted by Brooke Liu, assistant professor of Public Communication at American University in Washington, D.C.

Even so, emergency management Web sites have the potential to provide the public with quicker access to high-quality, detailed information; support real-time interaction; and promote accountability through highly visible online processes.

"Measuring citizen-agency interactions is important because interactivity is one of the primary advantages of electronic communication compared to more traditional forms of communication, such as phone calls and office visits," Liu said. "In the post-Katrina world of emergency management, states must evaluate their role in managing preparation for, and in response to, disasters. A key component of this preparation and response is effective communication with the public, other levels of government and organizations active in emergency management."

But how can emergency management Web sites achieve effective communication?

It's as simple as getting key information online and making it easily accessible.

Organized Content
Liu evaluated the effectiveness of emergency management agency Web sites in four main areas: democratic outreach, information content, outreach to special needs populations and intergovernmental relations.

Citizens should be able to contact state employees directly, either by phone, address, e-mail or physical location. Liu's study found, however, that most contact information on emergency management Web sites was general rather than employee specific.

Web sites should also inform the public of potential disaster threats and prepare citizens for action should a disaster strike.

"On our Web site, we have press releases and a whole page that is nothing but brochures, pamphlets and bookmarks for kids -- all kinds of things that are geared toward making people aware of what they can do to be prepared," said Helen Stewart, computer information technologist for the Missouri Emergency Management Agency, and primary person responsible for maintaining the agency's Web site.

People like having access to as much information as possible, said Rex Griffin Pyle, Web coordinator for the Virginia Department of Emergency Management. "It's a balance of providing a lot of detail," he said, "but also making the navigation transparent enough so that you can actually find what you're looking for."

This can be challenging, Pyle explained, but Virginia has focused on organizing the information in a content-specific manner, which helps users navigate through the Web site.

"We're trying to provide contextual linking," Pyle said. "If you're on a page about hurricanes, you might find a link on the right-hand side that says, 'Related information,' and it might point you to our family emergency planning page."

Virginia now uses a Google search product, he said, which makes it much easier for users to find what they're looking for.

In addition, keeping the number of mouse clicks down minimizes user frustration, said Steve Ollis, systems analyst for the Oregon Emergency Management Agency. "We try to provide as much information on the front page as we possibly can," he said.

Missouri uses the same strategy, Stewart said, adding that everything is basically one or two clicks away.

Links to additional information on other Web sites keep