Emergency Notification System (ENS) in Disaster Management

A communication tool that becomes a nation-wide system to send information about threats and warning is an emergency notification system (ENS). This is a common system to improve the safety of people which is available in government, businesses, and schools.

There are many types of emergency cases that may happen unpredictable. Therefore, it is important for the officials to raise awareness that people could avoid the risk and further damage because of the incidents. Read more about how this system works and its importance for the public here.

How Does an Emergency Notification System (ENS) Work?

The Setup of ENS

The first step of how ENS works is setup. The system has to collect data of the users, such as emails, phone numbers, and their location. This is very crucial because the notification later is sent to the people in vulnerable zones only to reduce fear among communities.

The system also has to write certain templates according to the types of the threats. There are some common emergencies, such as severe weather, fire, earthquake, tsunami, etc. Pre-writing these templates can fasten the information to spread after the sensors read the threshold.

Triggered Alerts

The emergency notification system (ENS) consists of many sensors that have been designed to detect many emergency cases. Once the incident reaches the point of dangers, it will notify the notification system to spread the information to the potentially-affected communities.

When the system is about to send the alert message, they will select the target audience based on the vulnerability level and risk zone. This personalization may be required before people can receive data by enabling their geo-location feature on the cellphone.

Distributing Messages

Alert messages are not only sent through a single channel. There are multiple platforms to ensure that people can get awareness about what is happening around them. For example, they are emails, social media posts, sirens, text messages, and phone calls.

Usually, the emergency notification system (ENS) has a tracking feature to ensure that users have received the messages and read them. Thus, the alert message may need feedback such as confirmation of safety. This system can collect data for the decision makers.

The Importance of ENS for Disaster Management

Sending Real-time Information

It is crucial to have an emergency notification system in disaster management because it can send real-time warnings to the vulnerable communities. The aim of these alerts is fastening the evacuation process if it is required. The government also can point out the evacuation route and nearest shelters.

Official Information Only

Reducing panic and confusion among the communities is important. The system itself only sends the message to those who are vulnerable because of the particular incident. It has a geo-location feature that can track the area of the users, so the people who are not in the zone will not receive it.

Better Coordination and Collaboration

The emergency alerts can help both the government and communities to get updates faster and more efficiently. There is a feedback option that people can send to the system, so the system knows what they have to do and prioritize. They get status updates from the team who is on the field.

The emergency responders can lead good coordination among different agencies and stakeholders. It increases the chance for people to recover fast and get some help immediately. However, the decision makers also have to work fast as part of disaster management plans.

Wider Audience

Since many people access the information differently, ENS can maximize to spread information widely. This is how to ensure the alert dissemination can be received efficiently, so people can act fast according to the instructions in the alert message.

Sharing Tips and Instruction

Another function of ENS is sharing tips and instructions to the public. This is a good tool because the public now has cell phones to access information for their daily life. The ENS is fast and the brief message can help them to understand what is happening around them.

To be Accountable

The government has a responsibility to protect the people as well as to be accountable during disasters. With a proper ENS system, it is easier for them to monitor and track the incident, as well as the development of the rescue. For the people, it is a kind of transparency.

The emergency notification system (ENS) should include an SMS broadcaster as the main tool to deliver the warning messages. Find out more how it can help to maximize the function in the system here.