Best Practices Federal Emergency Management Agency / Region VI December 2008 Mitigation best practices

Read all about it: Galveston newspaper never misses a beat The Daily News never skipped an edition during and after Hurricane Ike

At a glance

The Galveston County Daily News never missed an edition during or after Hurricane Ike, despite losing the roof covering, power, generators, and nearly all their technological capabilities. Their success is due to having an elevated concrete building, preparedness planning, ingenuity, and fi erce determination to keep information fl owing.

“People would see Heber Taylor is editor of The Galveston County Daily News.

GALVESTON, Texas — The Galveston Coun- “It’s all a blur,” building superintendent Brett our trucks ty Daily News has written countless stories Baker said about operations throughout Ike about the challenges and heroes of Hurricane and its aftermath. Ike. But one tale that has received little notice and fl ag is the newspaper’s own. When the eye passed over the newspaper building at 2 a.m. Sept. 13, workers who During Ike, The News staff lost almost ev- were there overnight rushed out and them down.” erything but their grit. Even when the storm boarded up cracked windows in preparation was at its worst, they didn’t miss an edition. for the second assault. It brought 110-mph

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Its sturdy, elevated plant behind the seawall protected the newspaper during Hurricane Ike, but its roof was damaged.

winds and a 12-foot surge that invaded When the newspaper was ready for delivery, the building and crippled technological fi nding readers proved nearly impossible. capabilities. But the staff never stopped. Delivery personnel went where they thought people might be, dropping bundles at emer- “We were operating, at one point, pretty much gency centers and hotels. “People would see “There was just on my cell phone,” recalled editor Heber our trucks and fl ag them down,” Taylor said, Taylor. “We had to improvise and overcome.” “and I don’t know how many people told me they hiked to the points of delivery just to no cable, no Rain came in around the windows. The wa- fi nd out what was happening. Think about it: terproof covering blew off the roof. The surge There was no cable, no CNN, no local news CNN, no local came up quickly, fl ooded the carpet, and then stations. This was the way they got informa- went down just as quickly. The generator tion, and information is critical.” news stations. failed when natural gas service was cut off. Before the storm was over, some News staff- The News turned to the Web, posting stories This was the ers lost everything. But they never stopped. as soon as they were written, before as- sembling them for print. Through the Web, “We were working around the clock,” Taylor the newspaper was able to reach evacuees, way they got said. “Our reporters were operating out of extended families and news media. emergency management centers in Galveston information, and League City.” Dedicated to their readers “Our readership on the Web was enormous and their craft, reporters fi led stories us- and continues to be very high,” Taylor said. and information ing whatever technology they could muster, including cell phones, laptops and air cards. In some cases, faraway web users relayed is critical.” The News exported copy editing to the main- information back to survivors in the impacted land and printed through sister newspapers, area. “It was amazing to me how people in starting with the Herald Zeitung in New New York would see something on our Web Braunfels, Texas. But they never stopped. site and pass it along to somebody in Biloxi or

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New Orleans who somehow, maybe after 20 ing the copy electronically turned out to be a “Have a written plan,” Taylor said, “Re- tries, would get a call in to Galveston, telling major challenge, but the staff found ways to view it every year before the season. Also, I people there was a curfew, and those people make it work. would have an annual review of technology. would go tell their neighbors,” Taylor said. I would decide what you can use and what The newspaper had installed a natural gas- you can afford – and if you live on the Gulf “It was critically important to get out ac- powered generator as an emergency power Coast, I would seriously be asking what you curate information,” the editor continued. source. “We assumed it would be 100 percent can’t afford not to have. The solutions that “There were all kinds of horribly inaccurate reliable. We certainly didn’t plan on losing nat- actually worked for us are not that expen- rumors cropping up. There was a perni- ural gas service,” said Taylor. But at the height sive: air cards and cell phones.” cious rumor that Ball High School burned of the storm and for days thereafter, natural gas to the ground, and it would not die away. service was cut for the entire island. Taylor recommends redundant systems. “I When the phones did work, I got angry calls would tell other editors this: One of the from people accusing us of hiding the truth. most important provisions you can build in Of course, one of the things you can do is to any plan is the provision for failure. Think report what is there, as well as what didn’t about what you will do if something fails, happen. There is tremendous value in that.” even something you think is going to be 100 percent reliable. You have to be very fl exible Several factors contributed to the newspaper’s as things develop.” ability to keep publishing through the storm. “The reward The lessons learned from Hurricane Ike The oldest newspaper in Texas, The News have changed the way the paper does busi- has been continually publishing since 1842, is that we ness, Taylor said. The newspaper now relies through epidemics, wildfi res, the Civil War more on cell phones, air cards and the Web. and major hurricanes in 1900, 1915, 1963 “We’re using the Web much more,” Taylor and 1983. The current building received were here said. “We’re still operating as we did during some damage while it was under construc- the emergency – posting information as we tion during Hurricane Carla in 1963, leading get it. We’re posting these stories in real time to the decision to make it strong enough to when people on our Web site, then at the end of the day withstand hurricanes. we pull together a print edition.” Today, the building superintendent calls needed us” The editor also said hazard mitigation, the structure “one of the safest buildings disaster preparation, and emergency plan- in Galveston.” The News plant is a hulking ning will play a larger role in future news concrete fort with a 14-inch-thick concrete operations. fl oor, 9-inch-thick concrete walls and a con- crete roof. The windows are rated for up to “The reward is that we were here when 160-mph winds and further protected with people needed us,” Taylor said. “If we hadn’t “And we certainly never planned on our internal fi lm. The building is behind the sea- been in a strong, elevated building, if we satellite phones failing,” Taylor said. “For wall, elevated and anchored on 30-foot-deep hadn’t had that written plan, we simply a while, we were operating on the backup concrete piers. would have failed when people most needed emergency power supplies for computers, us. We’ll plan better for the next time, but and we used them to charge cell phones, Preparedness and business continuity plan- we did have that plan, and it allowed us to too.” In time, workers were able to add small ning also contributed to the newspaper’s keep functioning, even when things went gasoline generators. ability to keep publishing. wrong.” When Hurricane Ike entered the Gulf, The What advice does the newspaper staff give to News team, according to plan, began prepa- others on curbing storm losses? By text and Twitter ration in earnest. “We fi lled 55-gallon drums Baker recommends investing in a strong, Leigh Jones was one of The Galveston County with water so we could fl ush toilets. We got elevated building and protecting the integrity Daily News reporters who had to resort to plywood and screws. We brought in drink- of the windows and other openings. “These unconventional means to cover Hurricane Ike. ing water, food and a grill so we could cook newer buildings are being built too cheaply,” our food,” Baker said. When most communications channels were he said. “Corrugated steel. They can’t handle down, Jones text messaged the news from her this wind. They rip apart.” He hopes to look The emergency plan included provisions for cell phone. She sent short, 140-character (not into shutters or coverings for the windows and exporting printing and copy editing to the words, characters) bulletins, called tweets, wants to have them resealed to prevent leaks. mainland if needed, which it was. Export- to Twitter, a social networking Web site that

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works over multiple networks and devices: Galveston County Daily News are integral to “The newspaper 5:44 p.m. Sept.12 – People are calling for continuity of operations plans, which could help now but no one can get to them. The be useful for any business. water is really coming up fast now. did not miss an 7:55 a.m. Sept.13 – Crews pulling people • Identify your risks and take aggressive from high water. hazard mitigation actions to make your issue.” 8:30 a.m. Sept.13 – Entire row of houses building and site safe. Secure your roof, on fi re. Nothing crews can do. windows, and doors. If you’re in an area 8:42 a.m. Sept.13 – Structures from the at high risk of fl ooding, elevate or fl ood- bebeach are now on tthhe street. proof, if at all possible.

InIn aanother city, a reporter • At a minimum, plan to elevate or move who had traveled what’s most important, possibly includ- with evacuees to ing evacuation of personnel. cover their story • Identify the things that must be done was able to get to for your business to continue. Plan where the Twitter site and and how you will continue, even if you convert the bulletins have to leave your present site. for The News to post online in real time. • Identify your communications needs and SoonS other media the best ways to meet them. discoveredd the bulletins andan used the Twitter text • Be redundant. Back up records. Plan for forfor regional and national the potential failure of essential elements coverage.cov of your system and alternate ways to operate if your power fails, your comput- “So“So that’s how we got out ers crash, your suppliers abandon you or informationinfor as quickly as your customers disappear. possible,”possib Jones said.

AsAs timtimee went on, the staff was Live or Die ableable to use computers, but only In his book, Galveston: A History, David G. sparingly.sparingly “Usually just one of McComb describes an incident after the 1900 our cellcell pphones (in the media hurricane that illustrates the Galveston news- pool)pool) wowouldu work, because paper’s stubborn spirit. everybodyeverybody had different carri- ers.”ers.” Jones said. “We would swap As a visiting reporter “walked across a plank, phonesphones aroaroundu and dictate our he looked into the water and saw four or stories ffromrom the phone that worked fi ve naked, swollen bodies, fl oating face up, to someone wwho had a computer to open-eyed, looking at him. He found the ttypeype them out.ou We didn’t have time newspaper with its doors broken, fl ooded, to write tthemhem down. It was pretty engines and press damaged. He met Major amazing.amazing.”” Robert Lowe, the general manager of the Galveston Daily News, and remarked that AAss The News ddramar unfolded, Jones if he were Lowe, he would print the paper hhadad hherer own pepersonalr disaster. Hurri- in Houston. Lowe exploded, ‘You would, ccaneane Ike fl ooded her home 8 feet deep. would you? Well, I won’t,’ he exclaimed as SheShe lostlost eveeverything,rythin but never missed a he shook his fi st and stamped the fl oor. ‘You deadline.deadline. never lived here. You don’t know – and you would ask me to desert? No, no, no! This Core elemeelementsn of a paper lives or dies with this town. We’ll businessbusiness continuitycon plan build it again and The News will help.’ SeveralSeveral survivasurvivall ssystemsystem used by The “The newspaper did not miss an issue.”

Story and photos by Ann Patton - FEMA

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