Federal Government Information Technology

After Harvey Took Out Communications, FEMA Set Up Its Own

Nextgov: Hurricane Harvey knocked chunks of Texas and Louisiana off the grid, but the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s in-house communication systems have kept federal rescue and recovery efforts up and running.

As the storm closed in on the Texas coast Friday, FEMA converted part of its Washington, D.C., headquarters into a command center where agencies involved in the Harvey response can manage teams in the field around the clock. Functioning as the nerve center, the National Response Coordination Center gives representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard, American Red Cross, Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services and Defense departments and other agencies the opportunity to collaborate and manage operations on the ground.

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