After deadly tornadoes and storms hit multiple states in late April, governments activated digital billboards to communicate with the public. This widespread information posting showcased the speed and flexibility of a new communications tool in emergency management: high-tech billboards.
Beating the Clock
At 5:52 p.m. on Friday, April 29, FEMA sent an e-mail message to the outdoor advertising trade association that started like this: “As we head into the weekend”… could digital billboards help with disaster response?
FEMA’s toll-free help line number began appearing on digital billboards that weekend, and the outdoor public-service effort quickly expanded to more than 155 high-tech signs in six states — Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina and Tennessee.
“We have received very positive feedback from the states involved,” said Jeanie Moore, senior adviser in FEMA’s Private Sector Division in Washington, D.C.
Three weeks later, a killer tornado hit Joplin, Mo. The next day, FEMA reached out to the state outdoor advertising association for help.
Background on Billboards
Billboards are part of all three phases of emergency management: preparation, response and recovery.
After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the newly formed U.S. Department of Homeland Security branded its website (ready.gov) on donated outdoor advertising space. Tom Ridge, the first Homeland Security secretary, said in 2003 that outdoor advertising “was an important part of ensuring that Americans are informed and prepared.”
During rush hour on Aug. 1, 2007, an eight-lane bridge collapsed in Minneapolis, killing 13. Within 15 minutes, digital billboards in the area displayed warnings that the bridge was down. Hours later, the billboard message was changed, urging motorists to take alternate routes.
This speedy response caught the attention of then Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters and two U.S. senators from Minnesota who flew in to inspect the scene.
In March of this year, immediately after the Japanese tsunami, a digital billboard at the Port of Oakland displayed a warning for the California coast.
“That is awesome,” said Marty Bahamonde at FEMA headquarters, referring to the tsunami warning. “That is expediency with the power of the message utilizing what already exists to deliver a message that could save lives.”
A New Technology
Nationwide there are up to 400,000 billboards and more than 2,400 are digital. Digital billboards feature color LED lighting. Static images rotate every six or eight seconds, depending on state rules. The message is changed by computer.
Since June 2008, more than 500 Amber Alerts have been transmitted to digital billboards by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
The FBI has captured more than 40 fugitives based on tips generated by digital billboards, including the arrest of the “East Coast Rapist” earlier this year.
Local Authorities
Local officials use donated digital billboards for a wide range of emergency messaging.
When Albuquerque, N.M., faced a natural gas shortage in February, the city’s public safety information officer posed this question: How quickly could an emergency message be displayed on digital billboards?
It took about 45 minutes for the city to approve the message, recalled Mark Gilboard at Clear Channel Outdoor in Albuquerque. The next day, the city “told us to revert to regular messaging. The public’s response to the crisis was incredible. Household natural gas usage was greatly reduced,” Gilboard said.
In Janesville, Wis., “an elderly female suffering from Alzheimer’s disease wandered away from family at a local shopping mall and was found by a citizen using the digital billboard information,” recalled retired Police Chief Neil Mahan. “When spring floods along the Rock River posed significant danger to the public, billboards were used to post warnings about the danger.”
Last year in the Seattle area, the Kent Police Department quickly posted information about the suspect in the shooting of a Seattle police officer.
Disaster Recovery
This new tool — the digital billboard — is evolving into a standard part of disaster recovery. After Tropical Storm Fay caused flooding in Florida in 2008, 37 different emergency messages were displayed on more than 75 digital billboards in 11 counties.
In 2010, flooding and severe storms struck Tennessee from April 30 to May 18. Disaster officials worried that storm victims might miss the deadline to register for assistance. Digital billboards displayed FEMA’s help line number to nearly 400,000 people per day.
Likewise, when severe storms and flooding hit Rhode Island last spring, digital billboards featured FEMA’s toll-free number and its Web address.
During the flood recovery in Milwaukee last fall, disaster officers were brainstorming about how to communicate with the public. Steven Fronk, director of the city’s Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, “made a few calls and quickly arranged an unusual and effective tool: digital billboards along Milwaukee’s major thoroughfares,” said a news report from Wisconsin Emergency Management.
FEMA has posted a case study on its website, explaining the public-private partnership and providing a succinct summary: “Digital technology enables quick delivery of emergency messages via high-tech billboards. Public-private partnerships harness these high-tech signs to inform the public about weather warnings, evacuation routes and safety-related information.”
Ken Klein is the executive vice president of the Outdoor Advertising Association of America. He can be reached at kklein@oaaa.org.
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