Ready.gov Unveils New PSA – World Upside Down
September 8, 2009 by national
Filed under Emergency Preparedness
September is National Preparedness Month. To urge all Americans to be prepared for unexpected emergencies, Cramer-Krasselt/Chicago, in conjunction with its network shops in New York, Milwaukee and Phoenix, has just unveiled a new public service TV commercial called “World Upside Down” that makes its point with pointed ad copy and visuals that are both artful and quite gripping.
The voiceover copy in the 60-second version of the spot asks viewers to imagine what their world would be like if a disaster struck without warning, and their lives were suddenly turned upside down.
The public service announcement depicts a family and its furnishings suddenly being chaotically upended.
As the ad copy asks us to contemplate such a turn of events, the commercial shows a family and the furnishings in their home suddenly being chaotically upended. The chilling effect is intensified by C-K’s decision to visualize the moment in ultra slow-motion, which turns the potential horror of it all into something almost like poetry in motion.
Still, the important and sobering message is not lost. Viewers of “World Upside Down” will surely come away from it with a good reason to visit the Web site www.ready.gov, where there is factual information about preparing oneself and/or one’s family for an emergency.
Warning On Fake Homeland Security Department Intel E-mails
August 24, 2009 by national
Filed under Incident Reports
E-mails claiming to be from the Department of Homeland Security’s intelligence division are making the rounds and DHS is warning that the emails are fakes and contain malicious software. The e-mails actually originated from Internet addresses in Latvia and Russia, according to a three-page alert from the Homeland Security Department’s counterintelligence unit.
Homeland Security Launches New YouTube and DHS.gov Websites
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today launched the DHS YouTube Channel and announced the redesign of DHS.govsteps to enhance the Department’s web presence, increase transparency and provide accurate, up-to-date information to the public.
“Social media plays an increasingly large role in our engagement with the public, especially in the event of an incident or disaster,” said DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano. “These new tools will facilitate an open dialogue about the Department’s security efforts across the nation and around the world.”
The YouTube Channel, will allow DHS to use video to highlight events, speeches, public service announcements and other related content. DHS’s emphasis on web 2.0 tools such as YouTube allows the Department to provide greater transparency and access to the public and our state, local, territorial, tribal, private sector, and international partners.
DHS.gov was reorganized around Secretary Napolitano’s five major responsibilities counterterrorism, border security, enforcement of immigration laws, disaster preparedness and response and Department unification and redesigned based on user input and search analysis to help visitors find relevant and timely information.
Ready.gov Launches Social Media Preparedness Initiative
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Ready Campaign, in partnership with The Advertising Council, is introducing a series of new social media tools today to further engage Americans in taking steps to prepare for emergencies. The initiative is an extension of Resolve to be Ready in 2009, a nationwide effort designed to encourage individuals, families, businesses and communities to take action and prepare for emergencies in 2009.
The social media tools will engage Americans in taking the three simple steps communicated in the Ready Campaign: (1) Get an emergency supply kit; (2) Make a family emergency plan; and (3) Be informed about the types of emergencies that can happen in your area and their appropriate responses.
At the center of the initiative is a new Web page, “Be Prepared,” which features an interactive widget that provides users with updates on emergency situations, local emergency contact information, an instructional video, emergency kit checklists and guidelines on how to better prepare for an emergency. Users can also access a clickable map to find contact information for state and local government agencies, where they can learn more about specific emergency information in their communities. Additionally, the widget helps users stay up-to-date on the latest Ready activities through Twitter news feeds (by following the user name “ReadydotGov”). The widget can be posted to social networking profiles, blogs, wikis and personal homepages.
The program also includes a tool with which visitors can create their own comprehensive Family Emergency Plan and share important information with their family and friends. Furthermore, visitors are encouraged to share their story on preparedness by submitting a video to the Ready Campaign Video Blog. The new Web page can be accessed by clicking on an online banner on the homepage of www.ready.gov, the Ready Campaign Web site.
Ready.gov Widget
