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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Keziah Sullivan, Interim General Manager of WHCR 90.3 FM Harlem Community Radio
2:42:00
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3 min
Keziah Sullivan, Interim General Manager of WHCR 90.3 FM Harlem Community Radio, testified about their emergency communications initiative developed in response to Superstorm Sandy. She highlighted the importance of localized, reliable communications during crises and the station's efforts in emergency preparedness.
- WHCR collaborated with local organizations to form the WHCR Emergency Broadcast Team (WEBT)
- WEBT trains local residents in emergency communications and protocols
- The initiative includes a 24/7 streaming platform for community content integrated with radio and emergency alerts
- Sullivan requested the reinstatement of the master plan to support their efforts
Keziah Sullivan
2:42:00
Good morning good afternoon council member Gutierrez, staff and fellow New Yorkers.
2:42:04
My name is Keziah Sullivan Norman, also known as Keziah Glow, and I serve as interim general manager at WHCR ninety point three FM Harlem Community Radio.
2:42:14
It is an honor to appear before you today to share an important initiative that strengthens our city's emergency communications infrastructure and ensures that every voice, especially those most vulnerable are heard.
2:42:28
WHCR ninety point three FM is a community radio station housed on the the campus of City College CCNY, one of the country's leading public research and engineering institutions.
2:42:41
Our station has long embodied CCNY's spirit of innovation, public service, and commitment to uplifting underserved community communities.
2:42:50
In that spirit, shortly following superstorm Sandy in 02/2012, we collaborated with local community organizations, technologists, including digital divide partners to form the WHCR emergency broadcast team which developed precisely to respond to the clear need for localized reliable communications during crisis.
2:43:12
The urgency of this work is personal for us.
2:43:15
During hurricane Sandy, one of WHCR's veteran engineers experienced the collapse of normal communication system firsthand.
2:43:23
From far rock away, he heard heartbreaking calls for help over the radio.
2:43:29
He described it being like a war zone, but the enemy was the weather.
2:43:33
During the critical window, even the police precincts, the National Guards post were overwhelmed.
2:43:39
This story is not an outlier, it is a warning.
2:43:42
W EBT's response has been to train local residents in emergency communications and protocols, including emergency preparedness and medication preparedness, and to collaborate with others to create innovative ways to communicate with our communities before, during, and after emergencies and disaster events.
2:44:03
For the past ten years, W EBT has presented the Harlem Emergency Preparedness Day event at City College, a forum that brings together emergency preparedness professionals, community organizations active in disasters, COADS, and community residents for demonstrations, presentations, and discussions around emergency preparedness, mitigation and recovery, working in collaboration with the smart community initiative, that would be TSI and their streaming university project.
2:44:34
May I please finish?
Jennifer Gutiérrez
2:44:35
Yes.
2:44:36
Please wrap up.
2:44:36
Thank you.
Keziah Sullivan
2:44:37
Thank you.
2:44:38
W EBT has developed a twenty four seven streaming platform for community content integrated with radio and emergency alerts, training programs for the public and real time emergency response systems.
2:44:51
W EBT empowers residents not just to consume information, but to control the emergency platforms and restoring connectivity to communities.
2:45:03
It is our heart.
2:45:05
We are trying to bring W EBT.
2:45:07
We are proud of what we created, and we ask for the master plan to be reinstated.