Ready to Respond

Disaster can strike anytime, anywhere. It may take many forms – hurricane, earthquake, fire, power outage, hazardous spill or act of terrorism.

Wordstudio worked with Enterprise – a leading developer of affordable housing – on the Ready to Respond: Disaster Staffing Toolkit to help housing organizations develop a plan to protect buildings and keep residents safe in the event of a serious disaster.

Through an iterative process, working with New York housing organizations, Worldstudio contributed strategic insight to improve user experience before creating and executing the overall design. It was critical that the on-line Toolkit – comprised of 58 documents, 6 videos, a PowerPoint and resilience manual – present complex and detailed information in a clear, engaging way to a diverse audience.

The plan is built upon nine staff positions in five key areas: command, communications, logistics, business and housing. Icons help users navigate the Toolkit.

Tools for the Emergency Preparedness Coordinator establish the program within the organization and train staff. The toolkit is available for anyone to download for free from the Enterprise website.

Brief instructional videos introduce each staff position to their responsibilities and give an overview of the tools available.

A Job Action Packet for each staff position includes: a Job Description, a Job Action Sheet outlining specific tasks, along with additional tools that are easy for anyone to customize.

Instructional pages are designed to be quick and easy to read.

A range of tools for residents include a checklist of important items needed in the event of an emergency.

Easy-to-print window signs for first responders.

An adaptable PowerPoint – to be used in a tabletop exercise, built upon an imaginary scenario – trains staff.

On August 13, 2015, nearly 300 leaders in housing and resilience joined Enterprise and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to mark the launch of the Toolkit.