5.17 Communication

“Explore the Option of Joining the Government Emergency Telecommunications Service and Wireless Priority Service – Emergency situations typically generate significant demand for telephone services, often overwhelming the capacity available within the national telecommunications network. The Government Emergency Telecommunications Service (GETS) and the Wireless Priority Service (WPS) are two government-sponsored priority communications systems that provide pre-approved users with priority routing of landline (GETS) and wireless (WPS) calls during times of emergency and crisis, even during periods of peak demand.”
Effects of Catastrophic Events on Transportation System Management and Operations: August 2003 Northeast Blackout New York City
Remember to Reset Equipment When the Power Comes Back On – “Communicating with the public was often misleading or problematic. When the power came back on, the signs displayed messages based on pre-blackout assumptions and reported inaccurate lane closures. In the future, one transit provider is going to budget for purchasing commercial airtime for emergency announcements, as the public service announcements were not sufficiently informational.”
Effects of Catastrophic Events on Transportation System Management and Operations: August 2003 Northeast Blackout Great Lakes Region

February 7, 2006
Publication #FHWA–HOP-08-015