NewportReady Moves Forward -- A Six Month Update

NewportReady was formed in March 2012 by a small group of citizens who believed that more could be done to help the city’s public safety community when responding to a major event, whether a hurricane or looking for an at-risk missing person.  The initial  response  to NewportReady  has been strong. It’s clear that citizens want to be more than just passive consumers of a city service.  They want to be actively included in the game.  Here is a glimpse  of what's been accomplished, what's going on right now, what's in the works, and pointers to sources of  information on becoming more ready.   (If you haven’t yet signed up, you can easily do so at  http://bit.ly/NptRdyAlert )  If you have suggestions, questions, or ideas  let us know: help@NewportReady.org

What's been accomplished?

1. Loaded 150+ email addresses into our rapid email broadcast system.  Phone information has been loaded into our phone message broadcast system.  Both systems are ready to go.
2. Added a  NewportReady Facebook presence and make periodic updates.  Please “like” us.
3. Met with the police chief seeking agreement on use of a private radio frequency to pass important situational information into the city's emergency operations center. This is an open issue.
4. Provided regular updates to the boards of Alliance for Livable Newport and the Point Association.

What's going on right now?

1. Distributing a short survey to better understand  concerns,  level of readiness, and to what extent people  are interested in specific training.  Response to the survey is very strong.
2. Lobbying the city council to find a path forward that gives all of us an opportunity to be more interactive, more collaborative with Newport’s public safety personnel.   We need to find ways to have more candor, more trust, less defensive reflexes.
3. Preparing for an  online “tabletop” exercise called “Formidable Footprint” that will let step through a hypothetical hurricane scenario and highlight problem areas.  “Readiness” is a journey; we’ll be on the path for awhile.   

What's in the works?

1. Choosing a system that can get short SMS text message delivered  should the Internet and normal cellphone service get disrupted. SMS text messages are short and take little bandwidth to find their way to your phone..
2. Deploying a low cost city-wide,  radio-based communication system that can operate when the power and Internet are out.
3. Participating in the 2012 Walk to End Alzheimer’s at Salve University, Sunday September 23rd.  Join us.

What can you do?

1. Take the NewportReady survey --  https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2SBHL25
2. Join NewportReady --  http://bit.ly/NptRdyAlert
3. Become a walker in the Alzheimer’s fundraiser or sponsor one -- http://act.alz.org/site/TR?fr_id=1372&pg=entry
4. Spend 30 minutes at http://www.ready.gov/ and start making a plan or building a kit