Brevard’s brush with Tropical Storm Colin on June 6 gave 2-1-1 Brevard a chance to activate the newly named Citizen Information Hotline for the first time since 2008.
About a dozen storm-related calls came in through the partnership with county Emergency Management — most about sandbags.
During activation, staff from 2-1-1 Brevard responds to phone inquiries in the possibility of a tropical storm, hurricane or other community disaster.
“Colin gave us the opportunity to introduce new staff to what happens before a storm without the high call volume,” said Libby Donoghue, 2-1-1 Brevard executive director.
County phone lines are “forwarded” to 2-1-1. In the most threatening situations, 2-1-1 specialists and volunteers may relocate to the Emergency Operations Center, or “bunker.”
The last activation came in Tropical Storm Fay, but that also lacked the intensity of response required by a hurricane.
During Frances and Jeanne in 2004, 2-1-1 Brevard fielded 30,000 calls – compared with 25,000 for the full year before.
