The referral system is getting off the ground in Kitsap County, nationally.

After the migraine of last month’s storm, officials prescribed one remedy above all to ease future suffering: improved communication.

Unfortunately, they also offered a postscript: improving communication will take some time.

Still, there is one burgeoning entity that has already begun shoring up connections between people and the services they need. Who you gonna call? 211, perhaps.

“We’re a human information and referral service,” said Milissa Grant of 211, the Washington Information network. “We’re here to help people find what they need. If the power goes out and they need to find a warming station, we’ll help them to do that.”

Indeed, Grant said, 211 was widely used after the storm. Its database is also used to connect people to a variety of other services, from drug counseling to English language classes. But according to some, its most vital application is in the wake of a disaster, when torrents of calls flood 911.

Formed in Washington state as a nonprofit in 2001, 211 is now part of a national system that aims to be a vast, all-inclusive resource for those in need of help. Adhering to national standards and supported by state governments, United Way of America and the Alliance of Information and Referral Systems, among others, 211 reaches 192 million people – about 65 percent of the population – nationwide.

Washington state has six active call centers, including one that serves Kitsap County, with two more scheduled to come online this week. Once that happens, 211 will serve every county in the state, even if a disaster incapacitates part of the system.

“That’s something we saw after Hurricane Katrina,” Grant said. “People needed help, but the call center was down.”

Grant said Washington is the only state that has a integrated all of its call centers into one network, helping to ensure its reliability.

Information bank

Though not new, 211 is getting more publicity of late as cities and agencies look for ways to better prepare for disasters. Locally, Rep. Sherry Appleton is among those who’ve touted it as a viable option.

“Since radio stations are regulated by the federal government, it would be difficult for the state to franchise radio stations, whereas 211 is becoming universal in states across the nation,” the Poulsbo Democrat said, responding to a suggestion from an island citizen to start a government- run radio station that could disseminate information during an emergency.

City officials in the past have discussed the possibility of collaborating with Bainbridge Island Television or local radio to provide critical information.

In the meantime, less sophisticated tactics like handing out fliers are among the few available options, in part because many people aren’t yet aware of 211.

“People aren’t as aware of us as we’d like them to be,” said Riki Jacobs, of the Peninsula 211 call center that also serves Bainbridge Island. “But we’re becoming more well known. We were pretty much one of the major doors to help after the storm.”

Jacobs said the center, which opened in October, saw its calls double in November and December. During the storm period, the center received about 20 calls per day, four more than average.

Along with helping callers find shelters, the center and its four employees helped people find food. One problem that surfaced was the loss of perishables following the outage, a huge problem for low-income families who couldn’t afford to replace them.

“We were able to connect those people with food banks, which responded wonderfully,” she said. “It was very gratifying.”

The peninsula center is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., though the persistent caller can get connected, through a series of steps, to a live person 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Once the entire system is up and running, around the clock service will be available to callers statewide.

Islanders without a landline can call (360) 415-5892 or (800) 627-0335.

Though broad in scope, Jacobs said the service is exhaustively researched to make sure people are getting through to the most useful services.

“We’re not just looking at some index card,” she said. “There’s a real art these days to gathering this kind of information.”