As a hurricane threatens, White House helps Americans text-to-find shelter
Good evening from Washington, where I’m digesting another good fall day spent at Howard University participating in the third Democracy Summit convened by the Center for Journalism and Democracy.
As in past years, the proceedings were livestreamed and archived on YouTube, where you can watch online. I took the opportunity to ask the experts present questions about oligarchy and corruption, which I’ll write up tomorrow.
Tonight, I’m thinking about my fellow Americans in Florida who are in harm’s way as a historic hurricane barrels into the Gulf coast.
As subscribers and folks following me on social media know, I’ve been asking the President to use the presidential alert system to directly send information to Americans affected by Hurricane Helene.
Tonight, the White House shared something else: an excellent new use of short message sending (SMS), building on good work during the pandemic with vaccines.gov.
As POTUS tweeted, Americans can find a FEMA shelter nearby by texting SHELTER + their ZIP code to 43362.
I texted it my zipcode in Washington. No options within 200 miles, but I got a link to fema.gov/shelter for future reference.
As I learned last night, FEMA had rolled out the expanded use in 2022, working with the Red Cross. Now it’s being deployed, at a critical moment:
“Disasters frequently disrupt communications systems which can leave survivors feeling overwhelmed and helpless when they are trying to locate shelters,” said FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell in February 2022, in a press release.
“Since texting capabilities are often unaffected during disasters, our updated Text to Shelter option is an easy and accessible way survivors can locate nearby shelters with a tap of a button. This feature will help keep our communities safe.”
Here’s what’s new, along with a key detail: it’s free to use, just as any public health or safety feature like this should be in a natural disaster.
FEMA’s old text feature only showed shelters within the requested ZIP code. This new feature uses Geographic Information System (GIS) capabilities to give users shelter addresses within 200 miles of their ZIP code. The texting feature is available across all 50 states and U.S. territories. Standard texting rates with the user’s carrier may apply, but there is no additional fee to use this service. In phones with a standard map feature, users will be able to click on the shelter address inside the text message and view directions. The text can be easily shared with friends and family so they know where the user is going or where they themselves can take shelter
That’s an innovative form of 21st century infrastructure that will endure after the hurricane passes.
Using text messages to enable Americans to find a nearby place to get a vaccine shot in a pandemic was a canonical civic text.
Using text messages, websites, and apps to enable Americans to literally find shelter and get aid in a natural disaster is another canonical civic text.
Technology can’t solve social problems, but we can work together to better connect people in need to information and one to one another.
Directly engaging Americans with timely guidance is exactly what we should expect of our governent in a pandemic, natural response, or war, cutting through a hurricane of wind, water, and lies. More of this, please.
As always, thank you for subscribing and amplifying Civic Texts, which will not be sustainable without you. Many thanks to everyone who has supported my work, particularly folks who have subscribed to memberships since our soft launch in April.
Please keep sharing these newsletters on social media and forwarding them on email. Organic growth by word of mouth and social recommendations is incredibly helpful. You can always write to me with questions, comments, tips, features, or other feedback at alex@governing.digital or call/text at 410-849-9808.
