Arkansas to test COVER system during Spring Break

BusinessFort SmithNews on the Wire

by The City Wire staff ([email protected]) March 17, 2011 2:22 pm 66 views 

Today (Mar. 17) begins the first test of COVER — the Communications of Vacancies Emergency Response.

COVER is a website and data system jointly developed by the Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism, the Arkansas Hospitality Association and the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management.

The system is activated when an emergency forces evacuation from surrounding areas into Arkansas.

During Hurricane Katrina, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated 1.1 million people over the age of 16 were forced to evacuate their homes.

“Throughout the evacuation, most of those driving through Arkansas were unfamiliar with secondary roads and stayed on major highways in search of overnight accommodations,” explained a press release from Parks & Tourism. “Because of this, many evacuees drove past available rooms. This caused a huge problem — hotels located on major thoroughfares had no vacancies while other lodging properties near secondary routes remained open with ample availability.”

COVER was designed to avoid that problem. During the next emergency that causes an evacuation, COVER will be activated.

According to the Parks & Tourism statement, the system is designed to work as follows.
• Lodging managers will enter their number of available rooms onto the website.

• Travelers will be able to enter their email address or cell phone number to receive messages along their journey with lodging updates.

• Also, those who follow Twitter can follow #ARKCOVER for updates during a crisis.

• In time of emergency, the media in the affected area will be notified about the activation of COVER. A link to the COVER main page will appear on the state’s tourism website.

• Once on the road, travelers with smart phones may access COVER information in a mobile format at this link.

In addition to using the COVER system during an emergency, the system will be tested during busy holidays to assist visitors in finding lodging information. The first test of COVER will take place during the upcoming Spring Break beginning 9 a.m., March 17. The test period ends Mar. 22.