August 2005 will long be remembered as the month that Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc on the Gulf Coast. This catastrophe affected so many lives, and has left us with many lessons learned to better prepare for tomorrow's storm.
News reports indicate that tomorrow's storms could be worse than yesterdays -- the 2006 hurricane season -- 28 hurricanes and tropical storms formed in the Atlantic Basin in 2005, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently predicted we could see up to 16 major storms this summer, roughly half of them hurricanes.
With that in mind, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) worked closely with local government officials to ensure that all the right processes were in place before the hurricane season's official start on June 1, and Georgia jurisdictions are no exception.
Communications Abound
While Georgia's coast has not experienced a direct hit by a major hurricane -- category 3 or higher -- in over a century, the state has been heavily impacted by storms over the years. NOAA records show that a total of four category 2 hurricanes hit the Georgia coast near Savannah between 1911 and 1979, resulting in 68 deaths. In 1989, approximately 175,000 coastal Georgia residents evacuated in the face of Hurricane Hugo, which ultimately hit Charleston. In 1999, Hurricane Floyd threatened Georgia, forcing the evacuation of 3.5 million coastal residents, including an estimated 350,000 Georgians. Most recently, after making landfall, Hurricane Katrina spawned 18 tornadoes across Georgia, the largest number of tornadoes to strike in one day in the state's history.
To protect the state's 8.5 million residents from these inevitable events, communications initiatives have been improved. Preparedness planning is absolutely critical prior to an emergency or disaster to support and enhance overall response by key civil authorities. Planning, training, exercises, community awareness and education can dramatically reduce the overall impact a disaster may have.
That's why the Office of Homeland Security Georgia Emergency Management Agency (OHS-GEMA) has spent the past few years researching and implementing new technologies and programs to create a seamless, interoperable communications infrastructure, should either a natural or man-made disaster occur.
OHS-GEMA's newly-formed network leverages technologies such as satellite communications, voice over Internet protocol (VoIP), and geographic visualization and collaboration tools to provide the right systems for state, local and federal government officials to communicate and coordinate emergency response efforts.
Systems and Solutions
The Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Program (LETPP) was implemented more than a year ago to provide an interoperable communications system for law enforcement and other first responders throughout the state. The program, which recently completed its pilot phase, uses existing radio frequency infrastructures and overlays these with an Internet Protocol (IP) network backbone, IP network components and Mobile Communications Units (MCUs).
The LETPP allows for centralized broadcast, remote monitoring statewide, statewide conferencing via selective dispatch centers, and dispatch consolidation. It will route public safety and law enforcement radio calls over Georgia's private network, and link police and first responders to the system through public safety answering point (PSAP) systems, installed at county 911 dispatch centers. OHS-GEMA has completed testing of this interoperable statewide communications system, which is currently available at 10 of 68 phase one sites in the state. With additional grants and funding, phase two will be completed by June 2008, thanks to the local police chief and sheriffs who allowed us to do the project.
The MCUs have been strategically positioned to provide rapid deployment to areas of the state not covered by the PSAP systems. These units have satellite connectivity that allows our dispatch operators to link to a variety of 800 MHz self-contained radio communications assets (amateur, VHF, UHF, 800 MHz, trunked and conventional) with other radio system assets on the state's Internet network. MCU operators will be able to view the same computer screen and exercise the same network control as their counterparts using the network PSAP systems. Running on diesel-powered generators, these MCUs permit continuous operation for 200 hours without fuel replenishment.
In addition, Duluth, Ga.-based DataPath provided one of its DataPath 3450 Portable Command Post satellite communications systems, which will strengthen our mobile command and control capabilities in the event of a disaster. The DataPath 3450 unit will enable our first responders in police, fire, rescue and military organizations to establish voice, video and data connectivity via satellite -- from any location -- in less than 30 minutes, directly linking them to a regional or national command center. It also provides comprehensive communications capabilities such as IP telephony, video teleconferencing, radio interoperability and access to planning and response software applications, allowing our officials to quickly and easily deploy a fully-functional field command and control center on short notice.
We have also teamed up with the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), our technical advisor, to integrate advanced geographic location and collaboration tools into the MCUs. These map-based planning applications, called Geographic Tools for Visualization and Collaboration (GTVC), were developed at the GTRI to provide a common framework for multi-jurisdictional response teams to use in planning, training and operations during major emergency incidents. They allow multiple users in different locations to perform real-time operations and exercise planning, and provide a live view of situational status when responding to an emergency or crisis situation.
As part of the LETPP, the GTRI and BellSouth have developed requirements for a multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) virtual private network (VPN). The MPLS network is an integral part of the LETPP solution, allowing for the interconnection of various dispatch radio systems throughout the state. This cost-effective network provides reliable, high-bandwidth network access connections to all state, county, and municipal agencies, regardless of their geographical location. It also expands teleworking capabilities for state employees and helps enforce post-9/11 security requirements and privacy regulations.
GEMA has also established the EMnet -- a TCP/IP, satellite-based messaging system that dispatches state warnings to Georgia's 159 counties. This robust, redundant communications system provides warning links to our local warning points, and was designed specifically to meet the needs of the emergency management community. It allows users to send messages to individual stations, groups, or all stations, and provides confirmation of delivery in the form of a receipt. The messages are transmitted to the EMnet server via an Internet connection utilizing the TCP/IP protocol, and are then delivered to the intended stations via satellite broadcast. This method allows for the simultaneous, almost instantaneous delivery of a message to multiple stations. Message receipts and acknowledgments, if required by the sending station, are transmitted via the Internet or private network to the EMnet server.
Human Element
Having the right technical elements in place to weather a storm will dramatically help in our efforts to save lives here in Georgia. But this is just one part of our overall efforts. Every disaster has a human side -- the victims, as well as the responders and volunteers who reach out and lend a helping hand when emergencies occur. With this in mind, our mission is clear. Our efforts in the areas of mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery are carried out with the clear understanding that when all is said and done, it is truly all about people. By working together with our partners in government and the volunteers and private sector, we can successfully confront whatever challenges come our way.
Bio: Dan Brown is the special projects manager at the Georgia Office of Homeland Security's Emergency Management Agency. He has served the state as communications chief, state operations center director, and coordinated the inter-agency communications for the G8 Summit in Sea Island in 2004.
The Georgia Emergency Management Agency can use this DataPath 3450 Portable Command Post during a disaster so first responders can establish voice, video and data connectivity via satellite from any location.
