Hurricane Preparedness Program Set To Use Social Media

Bloomington, Ill.-based insurer State Farm and Kohler Power Systems, a division of the Kohler, Wis.-based Kohler Co., are sponsors of the Blowout.

The program is featuring a June 1 "Dine in the Dark" evening where individuals, families and volunteers turn off their lights and prepare a meal without power.

National Hurricane Center Director Bill Read was the first to pledge that he would join the Blowout campaign for this event.

"We all know hurricane preparedness is important, but so many coastal residents have never experienced a hurricane. Many others deny that one would ever strike at all," said Mr. Read in a statement. "The Great Hurricane Blowout offers ways to make hurricane preparedness an activity the whole family can embrace."

The focus of the campaign will be fun and learning, FLASH said. Various experts will move participants through six phases of safety and preparedness leading up to the start of hurricane season on June 1.

Individual plans will cover evacuation, supply kits, strengthening homes against storms, personal safety and other topics. Participants will also be encouraged to join affiliated nonprofits and be trained to provide volunteer support in the event a hurricane hits their community, FLASH said.

In an interview, Trenise Lyons, project manager for FLASH, said the standard message for hurricane preparedness has not changed, but by using these new mediums the hope is that residents will become engaged in the campaign in a way they have never done before.

Using social media, participants will be able to ask questions and create a sense of community and conversation they have never done before, she noted. The idea, she explained, is that this interaction will help increase both awareness and preparedness this year.

For insurance agents, Ms. Lyons pointed out that this is a resource to help their customers be prepared and protected for the season.

"A lot of agents do a lot of outreach around hurricane season, especially in those areas at risk," said Ms. Lyons. "This will be an additional resource where they can point their customers as a one-stop shop for everything they would need to do to get prepared for hurricane season."

She said FLASH hopes those customers will engage in this site and find it fun and informative.

"We know this can be overwhelming, but here are all the things you can do, and we are going to make this as fun and as easy and as engaging as we can," said Ms. Lyons. "What we hope we are providing for agents is a new resource they will be able to use, pull from and direct their customers to."

Kent Jespersen, assistant vice president, property and casualty underwriting for State Farm, said the company became a sponsor because the feeling is that the campaign would help not only its customers but all residents who could be placed in harms way.

He said what was most appealing about the program is the uniqueness of using social media to pass along information about not only what to do before a storm but also how to survive for four to five days after.

"We see it as a very creative and innovative way to reach out to people and for families to be ready before and after the storm," Mr. Jespersen told National Underwriter. "Instead of just relying on brochures and putting the information in the newspapers, this will enhance the outreach effort."

The campaign Web site is www.greathurricaneblowout.org.