Severe Weather Awareness Week

Did you know that this week is Severe Weather Awareness Week in Illinois? Is your city, school, organization, or business prepared to respond to dangerous weather?

If you don't have an emergency communications system in place, you are not as prepared as you should be! A system like Alerts Made Easy can help you warn citizens, parents, and employees about an approach severe storm. The ability to get information out fast could potentially save a life and reduce the number of injuries should a disaster strike.

The Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) and the National Weather Service (NWS) are urging Illinois residents to be prepared for flooding and other spring weather hazards during Severe Weather Preparedness Week February 28-March 6.

“After a cold, snowy winter, most people in Illinois are ready to welcome warmer spring temperatures,” said IEMA Director Andrew Velasquez III. “But spring weather brings with it the risk of deadly tornadoes, severe thunderstorms and flooding. Many deaths related to these hazards can be prevented by following the safety steps we’re promoting during Severe WeatherPreparedness Week.”

How Alerts Made Easy can help you prepare:

• With AME, cities can supplement their traditional tornado warning system with text messages, voice messages, and Web alerts, reaching an unlimited number of people in a very short amount of time.


• AME allows schools to alert parents about severe weather and communicate the school's plan of action for keeping students safe.


• Cities can use AME to spread the word about roads that are closed due to flooding and remind them not to drive through water.


• Businesses can send warning messages to their employees who work outside and off site, since they might not be aware of the weather situation. This would give them more time to take cover.

If you want to learn more about getting ready for severe weather season, visit the Ready Illinois Web site. And remember to implement AME and develop a plan to use it BEFORE severe weather hits. The time to learn about Alerts Made Easy is now!

White Oaks Mall is StormReady with Alerts Made Easy!

The National Weather Service recently designated White Oaks Mall as one of only 29 “StormReady Community-Commercial Site” properties nationwide, based primarily on implementation of the warning system and an updated disaster-response plan.

White Oaks Mall is using Alerts Made Easy to warn tenants about approaching severe weather conditions. By using AME's automated phone calls, e-mail, and text message system, mall officials can quickly get the word out that threatening weather, like tornadoes, requires quick but calm action.

Store employees can then give their customers instructions on how to proceed to a safe location in the mall until the storm passes.

Read more about the mall's year-long process to become "StormReady" by clicking here.

Follow the example of White Oaks Mall and make sure your business and organization is storm ready, too! Learn more about Alerts Made Easy and our simple and quick messaging system that allows you to send alerts via text message, voice, e-mail and on the Web. Just go to www.alertsmadeeasy.com.

Businesses Can Soon Be Certified in National Emergency Preparedness

The Department of Homeland Security is planning to initiate a new program that will allow private businesses to become certified as a "prepared" organization. Businesses, non-profit organizations and universities will be able to receive emergency preparedness certification from a DHS accreditation system. The program will establish training and planning criteria that organizations will have to meet in order to receive certification.

There will likely be a communications component of this plan, and Alerts Made Easy is prepared to help organizations meet any requirements necessary. Alerts Made Easy has already earned a $5,000 grant from the Milliken Regional Entrepreneur Network (MREN) and a $5,000 Challenge Grant from the Illinois Homeland Security Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center (HSIEC) for our ability to help organizations implement an emergency communications plan.

The Homeland Security Announcement is below. We encourage you to take the initiative and great started now to create your own emergency communications plan!

Secretary Napolitano Announces New Proposed Standards for Private Sector Preparedness

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today announced new proposed standards for a 9/11 Commission-recommended program for the private sector to improve preparedness for disasters and emergencies.

"Preparedness is a shared responsibility and everyone—including businesses, universities and non-profit organizations—has a role to play," said Secretary Napolitano. "Ensuring our private sector partners have the information and training they need to respond to disasters will strengthen our efforts to build a culture of preparedness nationwide."

DHS published a notice in the Federal Register today seeking public comment on three new standards identified for adoption under the Voluntary Private Sector Preparedness Accreditation and Certification Program (PS-Prep). PS-Prep is a partnership between DHS and the private sector that enables private entities—including businesses, non-profit organizations and universities—to receive emergency preparedness certification from a DHS accreditation system created in coordination with the private sector.

The notice proposes new PS-Prep standards to enhance operational resilience, business continuity management, and disaster and emergency management among participating private sector partners.

The proposed standards, developed by the National Fire Protection Association, the British Standards Institution and the ASIS International, were selected based on their scalability, balance of interest and relevance to PS-Prep from a group of 25 standards proposed for consideration following the publication of a Federal Register notice in December 2008 announcing the program.

In addition to the standards in the notice posted today, DHS is establishing classifications and methods of certifications that recognize the unique needs and characteristics of small businesses.

Individuals wishing to submit comments on the proposed standards, recommend additional standards for consideration or comment on other programmatic aspects of PS-Prep may obtain a comment form and instructions for submission online at www.regulations.gov, in Docket ID: FEMA-2008-0017. DHS requests comments by Nov. 15, though it will accept submissions at any time thereafter.

For more information, visit http://www.fema.gov/privatesectorpreparedness/.

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ALERTS MADE EASY TM TO PARTICIPATE IN INNOVATE ILLINOIS COMPETITION

Alerts Made Easy TM has been selected to represent the Millikin Regional Entrepreneurship Network (MREN) as semi-finalists in the Fifth Annual Innovate Illinois Competition sponsored by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) and the Chicagoland Entrepreneurship Center. The competition is designed to recognize high-growth or potential high-growth businesses in Illinois that plan to launch (early stage) or have launched (later stage) an innovative product or service.

Innovate Illinois is a highly selective entrepreneurial competition where local companies compete for a total of $100,000, with the two top honorees (one early stage company and one later stage company) each receiving $40,000. The program is jointly administered by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) and the Chicagoland Entrepreneurship Center. The Millikin Regional Entrepreneurship Network provides small business consulting services and training through Millikin University’s Center for Entrepreneurship, an integral part of the university’s Tabor School of Business.

Michelle Klemm Tjelmeland and Mark Roberts, owners of Alerts Made Easy™ will make a five-minute “fast pitch” presentation in front of a panel of judges. Twelve finalists (six in each track – early stage and later stage) will be announced at a reception following the presentations. The winners will compete in the Statewide Finals held in Chicago in November.

“We were very proud to be represented by such an innovative business from our region in the competition,” said Connie Beck, MREN director. “As a current client and previous MREN Challenge Grant Award recipients, it is an honor to have this potential high-growth business compete against companies representing the state’s other 15 entrepreneurship centers,” Beck concluded.

Alerts Made Easy™ is a broadcast communications system that allows customers to send one message in four different ways simultaneously—web, e-mail, text message and phone. AME also syncs with popular social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. At $1.50 per contact, per year, AME is an affordable, easy-to-use product that addresses the communication needs of many different organizations, including school districts, government agencies, colleges and universities, churches, non-profit organizations, employers and many more. There is currently no one else pursuing the company’s target customers with a four-in-one communication model. Some customers can be up and running in as little as five minutes.

“Being a semi-finalist for Innovate Illinois is an amazing experience for Mark Roberts, co-founder, and me,” Tjelmeland explained. “We will have the opportunity to meet other like-minded entrepreneurs and see the incredible things they are doing in the State of Illinois,” continued Tjelmeland. “We were fortunate to compete last year as well, and learned so much from our experience. Through this event, we developed several business relationships which have helped us gain the national exposure necessary to bring our product, Alerts Made Easy™ - The Original 4-in-1 Communication System™, to market.” For more information, visit www.alertsmadeeasy.com or call 800-605-0082.

MREN represents two of the state’s 15 entrepreneurship centers funded by DCEO. The Decatur center is located in the Center for Entrepreneurship in the Tabor School of Business at Millikin University, and the Carlinville center is located in the Macoupin County Education Center at Lewis and Clark Community College. In addition to providing business develop services and training to start-up and high-growth businesses, the centers administer a Challenge Award Grant program for business expansion. Businesses can apply for up to $5,000 in matching grant funds in order to acquire outside professional consulting services that will help them “grow their businesses.”

For more information about the Millikin Regional Entrepreneurship Network, its services, training programs, or the grant program, contact Connie Beck in Decatur at 217-424-6267 or cbeck@millikin.edu, or Art Knippel in Carlinville at 217-854-9652 or aknippel@millikin.edu. Information about the MREN can also be found online at www.millikinren.com.

Alerts Made Easy Reaches Semi-Finals in Innovate Illinois Competition

Alerts Made Easy has just been notified that we are semi-finalists in the Innovate Illinois competition!! Here's the note we received:

Congratulations on behalf of the Millikin Regional Entrepreneurship Network (MREN) and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for participating in Innovate Illinois. Although the judges had a difficult time choosing semi-finalists, we are pleased that you and your company, www.alertsmadeeasy.com will be representing us at the semi-finals in Champaign, September 24.

Innovate Illinois is statewide entrepreneurial and innovation competition recognizing high-growth entrepreneurs. Businesses compete on the merits of their innovations to be named the most innovative company in the state by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO). Out of the hundreds of companies that compete, four will win a total of $80,000 in cash prizes.

Needless to say, we are thrilled!

We saw AME in action when the tornadoes hit Williamsville and Loami last week, and we're so glad to know that it is helping people stay in touch and stay safe! If you're not sure how AME can work for you, you can send a free test message to yourself from our site. Or, give us a call, and we'll show you the benefits!

Tornados Destroy Homes In Central Illinois

The storms that tore through central Illinois on Wednesday left quite a path of destruction in Williamsville and Loami, two communities right in our backyard. Altogether, about 47 homes and buildings were completely destroyed or severely damaged, and several others will need significant clean-up and repair as well. Many areas are without power and phone service, and rescuers had to go door-to-door to help residents evacuate their damaged houses. At least 19 people suffered injuries that required a visit to the hospital. To read all of the stories of survival, visit the Springfield State Journal-Register's Web site.

Alerts Made Easy played a role in helping to keep kids safe during the storm! One of our customers sent out an emergency alert to parents letting them know that their kids would be held at school until the storm threat was over. Officials sent this message:

"We are holding students at school until after the threat of severe weather has passed."

This is EXACTLY why we are so passionate about the mission of Alerts Made Easy. There are many stories of people who just barely made it indoors as debris started flying around outside. Some people were caught in their vehicles and had no time to take cover. Luckily, the parents of the kids at this school didn't have to worry about their safety, wondering if their kids were out walking or riding their bikes home as the storms hit. We are happy to be able to provide that all important communication to give parents peace of mind!

We wish everyone affected by the storms the best as they clean up and try to regain a sense of home and safety. It's so encouraging to hear about all of the volunteer efforts and support that community members are providing. You are all in our thoughts and prayers!

Federal Government Works to Enhance Emergency Broadcast Message System

The Department of Homeland Security is working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to enhance the current public alert and warning systems to "enhance a national capability to deliver geographically targeted, timely, and effective alert messages to mobile devices" (read the press release below). A group of stakeholders met earlier this month to discuss the possibilities of expanding the federal emergency alert system to include mobile phones.

While it may seem the government is a little behind the curve in this endeavor, there is good news. First, we know the technology exists because Alerts Made Easy can do it! And second, you don't have to wait for the federal government to provide these alerts. With Alerts Made Easy, anyone, including state and federal government agencies, city and county governments, emergency management agencies, and school districts, can implement their own geographically targeted, timely, and effective broadcast message system.

We are excited to be able to provide this technology to empower local governments to keep their citizens safe. Most of the time, it's the local governments, law enforcement, and fire departments coordinating the response and recovery effort after a disaster or during an emergency situation. They are on the ground and in the know, with eyes and ears close to the situation and in the trenches, and they need the ability to respond quickly. So, while it's certainly an advantage to have a national, coordinate alert message system, we know that having the ability to broadcast messages from the local level is just as, if not more, important in critical situations.

Press Release from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Wed, August 05, 2009

WASHINGTON - In effort to enhance the nation’s emergency broadcast system, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Command, Control and Interoperability Division (CID) of the Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate, convened stakeholders from all dimensions of the alerts and warnings community Thursday to determine the next steps to implementing the Commercial Mobile Alert Service (CMAS).

“Early warning is integral to the health and wellbeing of both people and property across our nation,” said Dr. David Boyd, Director, CID. “Through this inaugural CMAS Forum, CID has effectively begun laying the groundwork for a more effective solution and for making the system a reality for the American public.”

Since they were first developed, public alert and warning systems have primarily consisted of messages that interrupt regular broadcasts over television and radio to provide emergency information. With well over 80 percent of the American population subscribing to commercial mobile services, CID is working under a memorandum of agreement with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to enable and enhance a national capability to deliver geographically targeted, timely, and effective alert messages to mobile devices.

Today’s forum brought together key stakeholders to build a coalition of local, state, Federal, industry and non-governmental organizations, develop a shared understanding of the CMAS research, development, test and evaluation efforts, and identify important next steps. This is the first time a group of this magnitude and specialty has convened to address CMAS since the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC)

Commercial Mobile Service Alert Advisory Committee (CMSAAC) held its final meeting on October 3, 2007.

For more information, contact:
DHS S&T Press Office
Phone: (202) 254-2385