Disaster Preparedness

FIRST RESPONSE FOR FIRST RESPONDERS

Our dedicated disaster relief team has your back, so you can recover faster after a catastrophe.

REBOUND FASTER

Overview

Prepare

Recover

Grants Assistance

Case Studies

Experience

Contact

RAPID RESPONSE STARTS WITH EARLY PLANNING

GET THE EXPERTISE TO TURN A CALAMITY INTO CALM

As of March 2019, 108 natural disaster events hit the United States alone causing hundreds of fatalities and an estimated loss of $52 billion.¹

Resiliency depends on readiness. You’ve taken measures to prepare, but are there gaps in your plan? A crisis is no time to realize you lack spare radios, the latest software, or on-site essentials to support teams. Without the proper resources, critical communication can be fragmented, missions jeopardized, and recovery prolonged—adding to the chaos.

Having worked on over 55 natural disaster relief efforts side-by-side with public safety agencies worldwide, we’ve learned many invaluable lessons. We can provide the bundled necessities, resources, and insight to brave any catastrophe and bounce back faster and better than ever. Lean on Motorola Solutions before and after disaster strikes.

Avoid Living In A State Of Vulnerability

HURRICANES

2018 Season

15 Named Storms

8 Hurricanes

2 Major Hurricanes (Category 3-5)²

TORNADOES

1,200 Tornadoes in the U.S. Every Year⁸

March 3rd, 2019: Deadliest Tornado Day in 6 years¹¹

40 mph to > 300 mph Tangential Wind Speeds⁸

WILDFIRES

67,000 Annual Average of Wildfires in the U.S. Over Last Decade⁴

8.8 Million Acres Burned in the U.S. in 2018¹

87% of Wildfires in the U.S. are Caused by People⁴

WINTER WEATHER

9 U.S. Winter Storms in 2018

536,731 Crashes per year due to icy roads (10-year average)¹⁰

$4.2 Billion in Losses

EPIC FLOODS

20 U.S. Floods

$2.6 Billion in Losses in 2018¹

100% Higher Flood Frequency than 30 Years Ago³

EARTHQUAKES

10,000 Average Number of Earthquakes in Southern California Annually⁹

9.2 Magnitude of Biggest U.S. Earthquake⁹

$40 Billion in Losses for Costliest U.S. Earthquake⁹

What’s at Stake

$3.9

Billion/Year Damages⁵

Caused by Dangerous Weather

25%

Business Failure⁶

Due to a Natural Disaster

1.69M

Displaced Persons⁷

Due to Natural Disasters

Sources: 1. Insurance Information Institute, 2018; 2. NOAA, 2018 Atlantic hurricane season; 3. “NOAA: Like 2017, 2018 will be a record year for floods,” by Greta Jochem, Grist, June 7, 2018; 4. Congressional Research Service, May 31, 2019; 5. Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association; 6. Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety; 7. World Bank, 2017 and Our World in Data, Hannah Ritchie and Max Roser; 8. Saginaw Bay Underwriters, May 22, 2019; 9. The Travelers Indemnity Company, 2015; 10. U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), 2018; 11. NOAA, March 2019 National Climate Report

THE OVERLOOKED CAN UNDERMINE RECOVERY

Communication is vital to weathering natural disasters and the coordination of multiple agencies. Yet, it’s oftentimes overlooked in planning. Don’t let surprise be an element of your disaster response.

You may find yourself short on back-up, two-way radios. Or, you could lack accessories to charge your fleet of devices. Perhaps software is the issue. Forget to update it before a severe weather season, and you risk glitches and security setbacks. Add to that the litany of resources necessary to keep on-site crews going, day and night, week after week.

With so many details to handle, it can get overwhelming. That’s why we’ve compiled checklists of must-haves, based on real-world experience and feedback. Use them to gauge your readiness. Then, close the gaps with Motorola Solutions’ emergency bundles.

DON’T LET LACK OF RESOURCES HOLD BACK RECOVERY EFFORTS

While other companies simply send equipment and condolences after a disaster, Motorola Solutions sends experts, vital resources, and critical technology. When you have the essentials you need, your community has the best you have to offer. Give them that with Motorola Solutions. In these trying times, we’ll be there not only to restore your communications but some semblance of normalcy— providing basic, urgent needs, such as drinking water, power, and shelter.

DISASTER RELIEF AS A SERVICE (DRAAS)

Around-the-Clock Relief

Our emergency response team is at the ready to support your speedy recovery. Count on us to take preventative measures as early as 72 hours before a disaster. Our full-time, qualified field staff and technical experts will conduct onsite checks of your radio towers and prepare redundant Network Operations Center protocols. During an event, we’ll vigilantly monitor your networks to identify any failures. In the aftermath, we’ll be there. We’ll mobilize our teams to support yours with everyday necessities, along with access to vital networks, data and equipment. Thanks to the service model, your costs become predictable and can easily be incorporated into your operating budget.

Respond as One

Rest assured that you and your response teams will have a surplus of two-way radios, chargers, and programming cables to configure talk groups, along with antennas to ensure expanded coverage.

Get Communication up and Running

Interruption of service interrupts rescue and recovery missions. That’s why we work closely with state and local authorities to prioritize and coordinate the repair of your networks, including line replacement, tower construction, fuel delivery, in-field equipment repair and generator installations.

Fulfill Basic Needs

Turn to Motorola Solutions for essentials—everything from housing, to bedding, provisions to fuel, fencing, security, services and staff. Our goal is to give your first responders the necessities to keep going in the face of devastation.

MOTOROLA SOLUTIONS’ EMERGENCY RESPONSE

Dependability in Moments That Matter

California Camp Fire

The California Camp Fire started in Butte County on Nov. 8, 2018. It spread rapidly over a two-week period, covering more than 150,000 acres and destroying more than 18,000 structures. It’s impossible to predict when a disaster of this scale will occur.

A rapid response was needed by first responders to control the blaze, assist with search and recovery efforts, and most importantly, get those in the fire’s path to safety. The radios and networks they depend on every day are even more important in situations like this and require interoperability as local and national agencies converge on the scene to help.

Read the Q&A with Travis Boettcher, Regional VP for the West.

Download the full QA with Vice President Robert Marshall on Motorola Solutions' response to Hurricane Florence.

FINANCIAL RELIEF IS HERE

USE FEMA RESOURCES TO BOLSTER YOUR READINESS

Preparing Reduces Losses

$1 invested = $4 of future damages mitigated⁹

_{Source: 9. FEMA Mitigations Value Fact Sheet, 2008}

Studies have shown that preparing for disasters can reduce their negative impact. That’s why FEMA offers three programs to fund eligible plans and projects intent on mitigating loss, as well as protecting life and property from future catastrophes. See if you qualify.

Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant Program (PDM)

The PDM is designed to assist States, U.S. Territories, Federally-recognized tribes, and local communities in implementing a sustained pre-disaster natural hazard mitigation program.

Learn More

Flood Mitigation Assistance Grant Program (FMA)

The FMA provides funds for planning and projects to reduce or eliminate the risk of flood damage to buildings that are insured under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) on an annual basis.

Learn More

Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP)

This grant assists in implementing long-term, hazard mitigation planning and projects, following a Presidential, major-disaster declaration.

Supports risk reduction activities
Improves resiliency
Eliminates the impact of future events
Provides a long-term solution to a problem
Offers a cost-effective solution
Helps avoid repetitive damage from disasters

Learn More

ADDITIONAL FEMA RESOURCES

➔ Brochures that provide an overview of the HMA programs can be found here.

➔ The latest news and updates for FEMA's HMA grant programs can be found here.

➔ Application Submittal Process: Click here.

FUNDING ASSISTANCE

Although we cannot guarantee funding, we can guarantee assistance. Online training, writing services, free reviews and grant alerts are yours for the taking. Visit our government grants page for a wealth of information and expertise.

WILMINGTON, NC

When Hurricane Florence left Wilmington in Peril, North Carolina’s Statewide Radio System Empowered Response.

Five-hundred miles wide, Hurricane Florence was massive destruction in motion. It spawned tornadoes, blacked out cities and left Wilmington stranded. Within just days, North Carolina received eight trillion gallons of rain. Roads became impassable, highways turned into streams, and rivers crested to record levels.

“It would have been suicidal to be out there without communication,” said Lieutenant Thomas Tilman, Wilmington Police Department, Wilmington, NC.

One communication system worked when all others failed—North Carolina’s ASTRO 25 Viper statewide network. Watch to see how it proved lifesaving.

HOUSTON, TX

Motorola Solutions’ Radios Endure Hurricane Harvey

Hurricane Harvey brought the largest rainstorm in the continental U.S., flooding thousands of homes and leaving millions of people in Houston and its surrounding suburbs stranded. Search-and-rescue missions were partly the job of Houston’s Captain Larry Baimbridge and his SWAT team. During one of their 3,000 rescues, Captain Baimbridge’s APX 7000 radio fell out of his flotation device into five feet of water. To his amazement, it worked well despite being submerged for several minutes.

“The radios performed far beyond our expectations, and we are extremely impressed with their quality,” Captain Baimbridge.

Meanwhile, firefighter Jason Sanders was waist-deep in a flooded roadway. His orders: scout the route for emergency medical response team trying to assist a seizure patient. A swell swept Sanders’ APX 7000XE off his life vest and carried it away with the current. “I tried to search for my radio, but the water was too deep,” said Sanders.

A week later, as the flood waters ebbed, Sanders and his team scoured the pasture for his radio. The team found the neon radio partially buried in mud.

“We dug it up, knocked off the mud and put in a charged battery,” said Captain Darren Parker. “It worked perfectly.”

DALLAS, TX

Motorola Solutions Manufactures and Ships Radio Order in One Day

When Joseph Helou, IT Manager with City of Dallas, discovered Motorola’s expediency, he was quite impressed. Helou remarked, "You mean to tell me that these radios are brand new, just manufactured yesterday, shipped, and sitting here? I thought maybe they were rentals sitting on a shelf somewhere. But they are new, made just for us. That blows my mind! Who do I thank?”

From expedited management approvals and efficient order processing to building, shipping and tracking orders, Motorola Solutions’ team proved once again that it performs well under intense pressure.

Hurricane Harvey Hits Texas¹⁰

4.5 million people impacted

41,500 sq. miles ravaged

$8 billion in flood claims paid

80,000 homes had 18 inches of water or more

122,331 rescues

FORT WORTH, TX

Fort Worth Limits the Impact of Disasters with Fast, Easy, Scalable Interoperability

Watch how one emergency operation center rapidly unified communication across different agencies, networks, mobile devices, desktops and two-way radios. Even when volunteers show up without handheld radios, the WAVE application gives them one-touch access to first responders through smartphones and tablets. Each agency is able to monitor traffic and talk directly to their own team members.

Sheboygan County, WI

When Disaster Struck, Sheboygan County Emergency Response Preparations Came Together

In 2018, Sheboygan County Wisconsin experienced some of the most destructive natural disasters in recent history when 19 tornadoes tore through the area. The county’s training and teamwork were put to the test during and in the days and weeks following the storms.

Communication played a key role in the crucial moments when residents needed assistance the most. “If you can’t communicate, you can’t initiate the resolution process. None of the operations can happen.”, noted Kristine DeBlaey, Communications Manager at Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Office.

Learn how this fortified team of emergency responders used effective communication to reassure public safety in a time of distress.

WHEN CATASTROPHIC EVENTS OCCUR, emergency responders are put to the test more than ever.

Download Now

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RHETORIC AND RELIEF

MOTOROLA SOLUTIONS’ COMMITMENT RUNS DEEP

As Hurricane Harvey threatened Texas, residents from the coastal areas to as far as Houston fled, seeking shelter in Dallas. The City of Dallas responded by opening its largest convention center for 5,000 evacuees. In preparation, the City contacted Motorola Solutions’ Dallas senior account manager Tammie Massier at 8:13 a.m. Dallas needed 200 portable APX 8000 radios for the surge of first responders expected to coordinate the setup and operations of the massive evacuation center. With law enforcement in Tammie’s blood, she wasted no time. By 9:30 a.m., she sent the order to the factory. Thanks to the Public Safety Emergency process, it was manufactured that same day and shipped overnight. Tammie was at the customer’s dock awaiting arrival of the radios at 2:30 p.m. As Hurricane Harvey threatened Texas, residents from the coastal areas to as far as Houston fled, seeking shelter in Dallas. The City of Dallas responded by opening its largest convention center for 5,000 evacuees. In preparation, the City contacted Motorola Solutions’ Dallas senior account manager Tammie Massier at 8:13 a.m. Dallas needed 200 portable APX 8000 radios for the surge of first responders expected to coordinate the setup and operations of the massive evacuation center. With law enforcement in Tammie’s blood, she wasted no time. By 9:30 a.m., she sent the order to the factory. Thanks to the Public Safety Emergency process, it was manufactured that same day and shipped overnight. Tammie was at the customer’s dock awaiting arrival of the radios at 2:30 p.m. As Hurricane Harvey threatened Texas, residents from the coastal areas to as far as Houston fled, seeking shelter in Dallas. The City of Dallas responded by opening its largest convention center for 5,000 evacuees. In preparation, the City contacted Motorola Solutions’ Dallas senior account manager Tammie Massier at 8:13 a.m. Dallas needed 200 portable APX 8000 radios for the surge of first responders expected to coordinate the setup and operations of the massive evacuation center. With law enforcement in Tammie’s blood, she wasted no time. By 9:30 a.m., she sent the order to the factory. Thanks to the Public Safety Emergency process, it was manufactured that same day and shipped overnight. Tammie was at the customer’s dock awaiting arrival of the radios at 2:30 p.m. As Hurricane Harvey threatened Texas, residents from the coastal areas to as far as Houston fled, seeking shelter in Dallas. The City of Dallas responded by opening its largest convention center for 5,000 evacuees. In preparation, the City contacted Motorola Solutions’ Dallas senior account manager Tammie Massier at 8:13 a.m. Dallas needed 200 portable APX 8000 radios for the surge of first responders expected to coordinate the setup and operations of the massive evacuation center. With law enforcement in Tammie’s blood, she wasted no time. By 9:30 a.m., she sent the order to the factory. Thanks to the Public Safety Emergency process, it was manufactured that same day and shipped overnight. Tammie was at the customer’s dock awaiting arrival of the radios at 2:30 p.m.

Since 1945, our disaster response teams have worked tirelessly to provide support where and when it’s needed most. In the face of a large-scale event, know that we’ll mobilize to help you rapidly establish communications and regain control.

The First Response for First Responders

70+

YEARS

Count on our unwavering support.

50+

Disasters

We answered the call for help.

15

Countries

We go to all lengths to be there for you.

Our Response History

2018 / NC & SC Hurricane Florence
2017 / TX Hurricane Harvey
2017 / FL Hurricane Irma
2017 / PR Hurricane Maria
2017 / Mexico Earthquake
2016 / South GA & SC Hurricane Mathew
2016 / Washington, DC Presidential Election Inauguration
2016 / Brazil Olympic Games
2015 / Philadelphia Pope Visit
2013 / Northern Coast: NJ, NY Hurricane Sandy
2013 / AZ Wild Fires (cause: lightning)
2012 / Chicago NATO Summit
2011 / New Zealand Earthquake
2011 / Japan Earthquake & Tsunami

2011 / Australia Massive Flooding
2011 / NC Hurricane Irene
2010 / Haiti Earthquake
2010 / Chile Earthquake
2010 / Hungary Toxic mudslide
2010 / Gulf of Mexico, MS, LA, AL BP Oil Spill
2010 / Haiti Earthquake
2009 / Australia Bush Fires
2008 / TX Hurricane Ike
2008 / China Sichuan Earthquake
2008 / MS & LA Hurricane Gustav
2008 / IA Cedar Rapids, Flooding
2007 / Peru Earthquake
2005 / LA & MS Hurricane Katrina

2005 / LA & TX Hurricane Rita
2005 / FL Hurricane Wilma
2004 / PR, FL & US-Mid Atlantic Hurricane Jeanne
2004 / FL Hurricane Charley
2004 / FL Hurricane Frances
2003 / NC Hurricane Isabel
2001 / NY Twin Towers Terrorist Attack
1999 / Turkey Earthquake
1999 / Taiwan Earthquake
1999 / India Cyclone
1997 / ND & MN Floods
1996 / GA Olympic Park Bombing
1995 / Japan Earthquake
1995 / FL Hurricane Opal

1993 / NY World Trade Center Bombing
1993 / India Earthquake Maharashtra
1992 / HI Hurricane
1992 / FL Hurricane Andrew
1992 / Indonesia Earthquake/Tidal Wave
1991 / Philippines Volcanic Eruption
1989 / SC Hurricane Hugo
1971 / CA Earthquake
1966 / New England Hurricane & Flood Control
1965 / IA Floods
1958 / PA Flood Forecasting
1951 / KS Flood Containment
1945 / FL Hurricane

DISCOVER SERVICE
LIKE NO OTHER

EXTREME MEASURES FOR EXTREME CONDITIONS

THE SOUTHEAST GAINS AROUND-THE-CLOCK RESPONSE

On October 10, 2018, Hurricane Michael slammed into the Florida Panhandle with sustained winds of 155 mph—strong enough to demolish houses, topple radio towers and destroy antennas. The third most intense Atlantic hurricane to hit the contiguous U.S., Michael devastated property, destroyed power lines and spawned massive storm surges as high as 14 feet. By the time it passed through Alabama and Georgia, it had killed 60 people and left 11 billion dollars of destruction in its wake.

Within 24 hours of landfall, Motorola Solutions Emergency Response team was working tirelessly to restore service in the hardest hit areas.

Read how our unwavering support helped the Southeast region rebound faster.

CONFRONTING CATASTROPHE

WINNING UNDER THE WORST CONDITIONS

On Sept. 14, 2018, Hurricane Florence made landfall in North and South Carolina claiming 42 lives and causing damage of up to $18.5 billion. Despite the storm's intensity, Carolina first responders were never without mission-critical communication before, during or after the storm.

We staged our emergency response teams and extra equipment in Savannah, Georgia for quick response, and our networks in the hardest hit areas performed nearly flawlessly. LMR delivered what first responders need: always-on, instant push-to-talk operation that provides resilient mission-critical communications under the worst conditions.

Download Vice President Robert Marshall’s full QA on Motorola Solutions' response to Hurricane Florence.