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2-1-1 Welcomes Back Laura Marx
With over 25 years of experience in a variety of non-profit resource development capacities and as the person who helped create the infrastructure for the 2-1-1 system in New Jersey, Laura Marx is a welcomed returning staff member. Her history with the organization along with relationships that she has forged with government leaders will serve as fundamental assets as Laura strives to build upon the solid 2-1-1 system that is now in place. “This is a great time to take on the leadership role of this organization,” Laura states. “We’ve got our call centers working in tandem and a database that continues to grow with the help of community and state involvement. Our goal is to continue to improve our abilities on all fronts so that 2-1-1 is the access portal for information that citizens, caring professionals and government leaders turn to when they need help finding answers.”
2-1-1 Spotlighted on Government Home Pages as the Place to Turn for Information
Links to www.nj211.org can be found on the home pages of the NJ Office of Emergency Management (NJ OEM) and the NJ Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness (NJ OHSP). Both spotlight 2-1-1 as the number to call when you need information about emergency conditions or homeland security updates. The Office of Emergency Management goes further by stating, “2-1-1 responds immediately during times of crisis, to field calls regarding the crisis and to direct callers to services most appropriate for their needs.” In a September 5th press release distributed by NJ OEM, citizens without online access were encouraged to call 2-1-1 for preparedness tips if Tropical Storm Hanna caused flooding and unsafe conditions. 2-1-1 was also mentioned in a Public Service Announcement released this month by the NJ OHSP. This level of exposure on state government Web sites is evidence of a strong working relationship between government leaders, their departments/agencies and 2-1-1.
In preparation for the tropical storm that hit New Jersey’s shores in the beginning of the month, the 2-1-1 Web site posted a page devoted to hurricane preparedness, provided links to educate citizens about general emergency preparedness and was ready to post a 34 page Flood Recovery Guide if the storm had caused serious damage. Additionally, call centers were ready to staff-up if the weather demanded extra coverage and call specialists were given a guide that included answers to the most frequently asked storm related questions. From September 5th-7th our call centers saw a 33% increase in Special Needs Registry calls.
National 2-1-1 System Enables Call Centers in California to Help Hurricane Survivors on the Gulf Coast
2-1-1 call centers in San Diego and San Francisco have been very busy this month handling thousands of overflow calls from Louisiana’s 2-1-1 centers. Thanks to emergency preparedness plans that were in place before any of the storms hit the coastline, calls were automatically transferred to these call centers and staff was ready to help evacuees to access food, shelter and other critical services. 2-1-1 Web sites were also equipped to manage donations and volunteers.
Web Site Pages Focus Attention on Timely Topics
Coming Soon –
- Energy Assistance Programs
- Housing Resources
- Last Call to Register for Economic Stimulus Rebate Checks – Deadline October 15th!
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