The City of Albuquerque, New Mexico’s 311 Citizen Contact Center was introduced in July 2005 and quickly became a popular source of city information and access to city services. Officials began to consider ways to optimize communications skills within the call center as a means of delivering credible information to citizens during any emergency. With the onset of fears of an H1N1 pandemic, the 311 Citizen Contact Center faced its test of fire. It would emerge from this test having proven itself an integral facet of Albuquerque’s emergency planning process. When the New Mexico Department of Health confirmed the first cases of H1N1 May 2009, Albuquerque officials were cognizant of the need for a rapid and well-organized response. The city’s Office of Emergency Management and 311 took the lead in coordinating the discussion with local citizenry and other actors.  311’s effectiveness during this critical period helped raise its profile and win greater popularity for its mission.

This document is part of the Integrating 311 into Disaster Response & Recovery toolkit, featuring resources for communities wanting to make the best use of their 311 system before, during and after an emergency or disaster.