Midwest Floods - New Ways to Old-School Mobilize

(updated 3/18)

No surprise here, but as events such as major wildfires, earthquakes, floods occur worldwide or in our neighbor states, we here at the Division pay very close attention.   We have much to learn from our state partners' response and expertise, be it California wildfires, Florida hurricanes or, as we are watching unfold right now with the North Dakota/Minnesota floods.  Careful study of these efforts help us think about new messages, new methods and means to employ to meet similar challenges we face here in Colorado.  These events, too, allow our information teams to practice gathering information, providing situational awareness in a real-time, real-world setting -- something which we cannot replicate in an artificial exercise.

In particular, we watch how emergency public information and warning systems both from the government, private sector, media and community levels come together to protect life and property.  As such, over the past few days, we have assembled a list of information sources we are watching to see how the nexus of social media, grass root efforts are meshing with organized, government response efforts to meet the midwest flood response and thought we might share.  Colorado, too, has a long history of flood events - http://coemergency.blogspot.com/2010/01/historical-colorado-flood-events.html and knows they can and will happen again.  In particular, it is the efforts by citizens at the local level to establish and maintain information sharing sites for their communities that we uniquely interested in.  How we identify, pool and combine those local efforts with the larger response is what will make the difference in a Colorado disaster.  We have grown accustomed to being able to pick up a phone and have someone provide help.  In reality, as we have seen in recent earthquakes and with the volunteer, organized sandbagging operations in North Dakota, the first line of defense and assistance in a major event will likely be our friends and neighbors and the success of their assistance will rest, in large part, in their ability to communicate, direct and mobilize.

To help you look at some great examples of online preparation efforts, what follows is a list of important pages and unique online efforts related to the North Dakota/Minnesota Flood Effort.  If you are interested in organizing an online emergency management community in Colorado, feel free to contact me at brandon.williams@state.co.us, contact the State's Citizen Preparedness Coordinator, Cathy Prudhomme at cathy.prudhomme@state.co.us or contact your local emergency manager (list at http://dola.colorado.gov/dem/localem.htm). 

Midwest Flood - Govt Pages
North Dakota Department of Emergency Services - http://www.nd.gov/des/
North Dakota Department of Public Health - Flood Information Services - http://ndhealth.gov/flood//
Health Department Flood Number List - http://ndhealth.gov/flood//FLDPHONE.HTM
Minnesota Homeland Security and Emergency Management - http://www.eoc.state.mn.us/index.asp
South Dakota Office of Emergency Management - http://dps.sd.gov/emergency_services/emergency_management/contact.aspx
City of Fargo Flood Page - http://www.cityoffargo.com/CityInfo/Departments/Engineering/FloodInfoCenter/
Fargo Flood Info Line:  (701) 476-4199
City of West Fargo - http://www.westfargond.gov/CityDepartments/PublicWorks/2009FloodInformation/tabid/294/Default.aspx
Burleigh County Flood Page - http://www.co.burleigh.nd.us/departments/default.asp?ID=410
Cass County Flood Page - http://www.casscountynd.gov/Pages/default.aspx
Cass County Flood Info Line:  (701) 297-6000
City of Moorhead Flood Page - http://www.ci.moorhead.mn.us/Flood/
Moorhead Info Line:  (218) 299-5300
Clay County Flood Page - http://www.co.clay.mn.us/AboutUs/Flood/Flood10.htm
Clay County Flood Info Line:  (218) 299-7768
Richland County Flood Page - https://mylocalgov.com/richlandcountynd/
Primary Volunteer Coordinator - Firstlink - http://www.myfirstlink.org/
Fargo Volunteer Line:  (701) 476-4000
Moorhead Volunteer Line:  (218) 299-5300

Facebook Midwest Flood Pages
North Dakota Department of Emergency Services FB Page - http://www.facebook.com/NDDES?v=wall
Minnesota Homeland Security and Emergency Management FB Page - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Saint-Paul-MN/MnDPS_HSEM-Homeland-Security-Emergency-Management/175754430840?v=wall
FloodChannel FB Page - http://www.facebook.com/pages/RedRiverFloodtv/157775900316
North Dakota Flood Info Center FB Page - http://www.facebook.com/pages/North-Dakota-flood-info-center/368908943147
City of Fargo FB Page - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fargo-ND/City-of-Fargo/267216175226?ref=search&sid=1094783946.1852976664..1&v=wall
Fargo Fire Department FB Page - http://www.facebook.com/search/?q=Fargo+Fire&init=quick#!/pages/Fargo-ND/Fargo-Fire-Department/253197748197?v=wall&ref=search
Fargo Flooding (ND) FB Page - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fargo-Flooding/309037057615?ref=search&sid=1034689165.110768126..1 
The Weather Channel - Flood Info Page - http://www.weather.com/newscenter/topstories/twitterfargoflood.html
Fargo-Morehead Flood Volunteer (ND-MN) FB Page - http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=57966338284
FB Users from ND and MN (ND-MN) - Flood FB Page - http://www.facebook.com/search/?q=North+Dakota+Flood&init=quick#!/group.php?gid=74723009125&ref=search&sid=1094783946.3995543758..1 -
City of Moorhead (MN) FB Page - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Moorhead-MN/City-of-Moorhead/240928077335
Midwest Flooding/High Water Situational Awareness FB Page - http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=326149844022&ref=ts

Twitter Midwest Flood Addresses
http://twitter.com/bwwilliams/midwestflood - (60+ sources incl fed, state, local govt/private/media/public)

Twitter ND/SD/MN Hashtags
#flood10 (primary hashtag)
#fargoflood
#FMflood
#Fargo
#GrandForks
#ccflood
#Moorhead

Other Media/Community-Driven Flood Coordination Site(s)
***InForum Flood Blog - http://www.areavoices.com/springflood/
Bismark Tribune - http://www.ndfloods.com/
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Flood Photos - http://www.flickr.com/photos/usace-stpaul/
Civil Air Patrol - Daily Photos/Images - http://tinyurl.com/2010-ND-Floods
Desktop Flood State Tool - http://andrewrlynch.com/2010/03/floodcheck-application
Fargo Floodplain Maps - http://www.cityoffargo.com/CityInfo/Departments/Engineering/FloodInfoCenter/MapsRiverLevels/
Forum Flood Watch - http://www.areavoices.com/springflood/
Valley News Flood Watch - http://www.valleynewslive.tv/flood_info.shtml
KGFO - http://www.kfgo.com/flood/index.php
WDAY - http://www.wday.com/event/tag/tag/flood
USGS ND Water Science Center - http://nd.water.usgs.gov/floodtracking/charts/05054000_09020104.html
Xcel Energy - ND, SD, MN News Releases - http://www.xcelenergy.com/North%20Dakota/Company/Newsroom/Pages/News_Releases.aspx
Verizon Wireless Flood Release - http://news.vzw.com/news/2010/03/pr2010-03-16k.html
Minn-Kota Red Cross - http://minnkotaredcross.org/
Fargo Flooding - http://www.fargoflooding.com/
Valley Flood Watch - http://valleyfloodwatch.com/
Bring Me the News Blog - MN - http://bring.mn/stack/5859-flood-watch-a-round-up-of-news-from-around-region
The Flood Channel - http://thefloodchannel.com/

***includes articles from PIO w/NDDES

This page will continue to grow as we identify other sources of info we can look to as examples of how to organize.  Too, if you know of some sites or other items that should be added to this list, send 'em to me at brandon.williams@state.co.us.

The pictures above come from the outstanding efforts of the ND Civil Air Patrol to provide aerial images and a common pool for images re: ND/MN flood fight - to see more go to http://tinyurl.com/2010-ND-Floods