FCC, FEMA, Carriers Gearing Up for Hurricane Lane

The FCC, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and Hawaii broadcasters and carriers were gearing up Thursday for landfall of Category 4 Hurricane Lane, we found. Though the storm isn’t expected to cause the same level of damage as Maria and Irma did last year to the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, broadcasters and emergency alert officials are making extensive preparations, said Hawaii Association of Broadcasters President Chris Leonard in an interview. “We don’t take any of these things lightly.” Lane "will bring life threatening conditions across Hawaii through Saturday with damaging winds, dangerous surf, coastal storm surge and INTENSE FLOODING RAINS,” tweeted the National Weather Service.

The FCC activated the disaster information reporting system (DIRS) for the storm, and issued releases notifying licensees of around-the-clock contact information for officials and of procedures for requesting special temporary authority from bureaus. The procedures “help communications services initiate, resume, and maintain operations in the areas affected by Hurricane Lane,” said the release. DIRS activation will allow Hawaii carriers and broadcasters “to report communications infrastructure status and situational awareness information during times of crisis,” said a Public Safety Bureau release. A planned DIRS exercise was canceled because of the need to activate the system for Lane, blogged broadcast law firm Fletcher Heald.

“We’ve been working year-round with government partners, industry, public safety organizations, and other stakeholders to promote communications reliability, including hurricane and other disaster preparedness,” an FCC spokesperson said. DIRS training is part of an effort to promote the effective use of the system, the agency said. The tentative new training date is Sept. 13.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai retweeted Thursday a FEMA warning for those affected by the storm to have emergency supplies handy. FEMA activated its National Response Coordination Center in Washington, D.C., Thursday to coordinate responses among federal agencies, it said. President Donald Trump granted Hawaii’s request for an emergency declaration Tuesday, the agency said. It deployed an incident management assistance team to Hawaii and officers to emergency operations centers in every county. The FCC didn’t comment on whether commission personnel were deployed there.

Leonard, also general manager of New West Broadcasting, worked throughout Wednesday night to ensure a full complement of backup generators will be available to his stations. Such generators were instrumental to broadcasters during the prolonged power loss in Puerto Rico (see 1712220028). Leonard said Hawaii stations have been conditioned to be ready for disasters by earthquakes and previous storm events. He has a portable backup transmitter in case the storm disables transmission facilities.

“We’re confident Hawaii’s local radio and TV stations will serve as a reliable lifeline to keep listeners and viewers informed during this difficult situation,” an NAB spokesman said. Though Leonard said many of the lessons learned from the false missile alert earlier this year don’t really apply to storm prep, he said the incident led to increased communications with local emergency officials. Some broadcasters on the islands increased staffing levels to be ready for the storm, and his stations are prepared to be fully staffed at all times during the hurricane, Leonard said. Interviewed just after dawn Hawaii Standard Time, Leonard said his station was already full of employees, preparing for the Hurricane and listening to REO Speedwagon’s “Ridin the Storm Out.”

Carriers serving the island said they are getting ready. Honolulu recommends residents download the city’s smartphone app, HNL.info, to get the latest information. “Our teams have been preparing and monitoring Hurricane Lane as it approaches the islands. We’ll continue to closely monitor and provide updates on Hawaiian Telcom services as it progresses,” the telco said on Facebook. “Please stay safe and follow the latest information from the National Weather Service.”

“We have started our storm preparedness process as we closely monitor Hurricane Lane,” AT&T said. Preparation includes topping off generators, testing backup batteries at cellsites, protecting equipment from flooding with sandbags and staging emergency equipment for fast post-storm deployment, the company said.

“T-Mobile is closely monitoring the storm and is ready to respond,” the carrier said. “We have prepared for the storm's impact locally with emergency equipment, such as back-up power solutions including portable generators, fuel trucks and mobile Cell on Wheels (COWs), and we have rapid-response teams on standby.”