The morning had started like any other for team lead Alex and his team at the NGO (Non-Governmental Organizations) – Synergy for Aid and Volunteer Efforts (SAVE), but it quickly turned into chaos as news reports of a massive earthquake began to flood news sites, social media, and other news outlets. Alex and his team got information of a city in panic as buildings crumbled, a tsunami warning was issued, and people rushing to safety. The SAVE Crisis Relief team knew that their Devoir de diligence to their clients demanded that they act quickly and effectively. But as they tried to contact their clients and assess the damage, they realized that some communication channels were offline and the challenge of getting hold of everyone involved was a bigger task than expected. A new solution was needed quickly.
Challenge
The government had begun to restrict access to specific communication channels and social media; landline phones in the region were out of order as well. The SAVE team felt helpless as the task of manually reaching out and confirming status or location was too big to manage quickly and safely. In such a crisis situation, it was evident that relying on old fashioned calling and mainstream communication channels were not enough.
As they struggled to figure out what to do, Alex remembered hearing about Safeture, a software and app that could be used to communicate and locate response efforts during a disaster through an insurance partner, Trustworthy Insurances (TI). The team decided to contact TI to get more information and get help.
Solution
TI’s operations officer, Saul O’Brian organized accounts for SAVE and advised Alex to download the Safeture app onto their mobile devices, and within minutes, they were able to get real-time updates on the earthquake’s location, magnitude, and impact. They were also able to see where the highest concentration of affected people was and plan their response accordingly.
The platform provided a central hub where all relevant information could be shared and accessed by team members, regardless of their location. It allowed them to work together more efficiently, and to quickly identify areas of greatest need. It provided them with a one stop tool to locate, inform and communicate with all people affected, making sure everyone was accounted for.
The SAVE team found the software easy to use, and the intuitive design meant that they could quickly access and analyze the data. They quickly discovered the power of a standardized “Are you OK” check-in feature, utilizing it to get a quick and complete picture of who reported that they were OK and who did not respond.
“Having all buttons and nobs in the “natural” place made our onboarding quick and easy with minimal needed help to get started, we really got up and running within minutes.”
– Alex Choi, Team Lead Crisis Relief at SAVE
As they worked tirelessly to coordinate their response efforts, they realized the importance of having reliable communication channels in place. They knew that relying solely on mainstream communication channels such as social media or news outlets was not enough. They needed to have redundancies in place to ensure that they could communicate with their clients and coordinate their response efforts, even in the most challenging of situations.
The Safeture app was also a crucial tool in SAVE’s response efforts. The app provided real-time updates on the earthquake and its impact, including information on the earthquake’s magnitude, location, and potential impact, as well as updates on any ongoing response efforts. It also provided assistance to affected clients, including information on nearby shelters, hospitals, and other resources, as well as advice on what to do in the event of an earthquake.
Conclusion
In the aftermath of the earthquake, the SAVE team realized that the crisis had taught them a valuable lesson. They knew that it was crucial to have reliable communication channels in place before a crisis occurred. They could not rely solely on mainstream communication channels, as these were often the first to go down or be restricted in a crisis situation. They needed to have redundancies in place to ensure that they could communicate with their clients and coordinate their response efforts even in the most challenging of situations. By investing in Safeture’s software and app, they had been able to provide their clients with the care and assistance they needed in a time of crisis.
The names of individuals, organizations, and specific time references mentioned in this document have been anonymized and replaced with fictional information. This measure has been undertaken to protect the privacy and confidentiality of the individuals and organizations involved. Any resemblance to actual names or events is purely coincidental. The intent behind this anonymization is to respect the privacy of those affected and to uphold ethical standards of confidentiality.
