Emergency Response via the Web

1
Emergency Response via the Web

• Two emergencies in August 2007 highlight the
  Internet as a dynamic communication tool

2
August 1st 2007

• Collapse of the I-35W Bridge over the
  Mississippi River in Minneapolis

3
August 21st 2007

• Collapse of the I-35W Bridge over the
  Mississippi River in Minneapolis
• Floods in Southeast Minnesota

4
Road Closure Alerts

• 511mn.org
• mndot.gov

5
Detour Maps
6
I-35W Bridge Collapse Website

• Focal point for
• Detour route updates
• Original bridge facts and documentation
• News releases media briefings
• Video of the collapse

7
Server Capacity was Doubled

• Increased Web Traffic
• Unique visitors spiked to 349,913 in August
  2007 (double over previous months)

8
Traffic Transit Enhancements

• Metro highways began to improve the flow of
  traffic
• In advance of the State Fair and
• New semester at the University of Minnesota

9
Statewide Bridge Inspections

• Governor ordered statewide inspections of all
  fracture critical bridges
• Maps and inspection reports were added to the
  Website

10
Bridge Replacement

• Plans to replace the collapsed bridge moved
  quickly
• Contractor selection
• Bridge design

11
Posting More than Before

• Viewers wanted more information and greater
  detail for
• Bridge inspection reports
• Construction maintenance contracts

12
High Resolution Photos

• Aerial photos
• Ground photos

13
Information for Legislators

• Documentation from legislative hearings
• Funding documents
• Economic impacts of the collapse

14
Public Involvement

• Public and legislative open houses
• Online comment form (received 5-times more than
  written comments from open houses)
• Subscriptions for project updates by e-mail
• Weekly Sidewalk Superintendent Talks at the
  construction site

15
Internal Communication

• Newsline for employees and retirees
• Daily News Clips
• Video Clips of TV news

16
Summary

• Website remained the primary source of
  information
• Content was factual and straight-forward
• Responsive to public, legislative and media
  concerns

17
Best of 2007 Award