Commission Document

• Print
• Email

PUBLIC NOTICE

Federal Communications Commission

News Media Information 202 / 418-0500

445 12th St., S.W.

Internet: http://www.fcc.gov

Washington, D.C. 20554

TTY: 1-888-835-5322

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

:
DA 12-1410
Released: August 28, 2012

NEWS MEDIA CONTACT 

Cecilia Sulhoff: (202) 418-0587
Email: Cecilia.Sulhoff@fcc.gov

THE FCC’S PUBLIC SAFETY & HOMELAND SECURITY BUREAU ANNOUNCES 

THE ACTIVATION OF THE DISASTER INFORMATION REPORTING SYSTEM 

(DIRS) IN RESPONSE TO HURRICANE ISAAC
Washington, DC – The Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (PSHSB) of the 
Federal Communications Commission (Commission) has announced the activation of the 
Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS) in response to Hurricane Isaac in the Alabama 
counties of Baldwin and Mobile; the Florida counties of Escambia and Santa Rosa; the Louisiana 
parishes of  Ascension, Assumption, Avoyelles, Catahoula, Concordia, East Baton Rouge, East 
Feliciana, Iberia, Iberville, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lafourche, Livingston, Orleans, Plaquemines, 
Pointe Coupee, Saint Bernard, Saint Charles, Saint Helena, Saint James, St John the Baptist, 
Saint Landry, Saint Martin, Saint Mary, Saint Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, Washington, 
West Baton Rouge and West Feliciana; and the Mississippi counties of Adams, Amite, Franklin, 
Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson, Lincoln, Pearl River, Pike, Walthall and Wilkinson.
PSHSB will closely monitor the storm’s progress and may extend DIRS activation to 
additional counties as needed in the coming days.  DIRS is a voluntary, efficient, web-based 
system that communications providers, including wireless, wireline, broadcast, broadband and 
Voice over Internet Protocol providers can use to report communications infrastructure status 
and situational awareness information during times of crisis.1  
The Commission requests that communications providers expeditiously submit and 
update information through DIRS regarding, inter alia, the status of their communications 
equipment, restoration efforts, power (i.e., whether they are using commercial power, generator 
 
 
1 On July 21, 2007, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approved the DIRS information collection under 
OMB Control Number 3060-1003.  This OMB approval expires on June 30, 2013.  On June 8, 2012, the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) approved the expansion of  DIRS information collection to broadband and Voice 
over Internet Protocol under OMB Control Number 3060-1003.

---

or battery), and access to fuel, if they provide service in any areas listed above.2 Communications 
providers can accomplish this by accessing DIRS at https://www.fcc.gov/nors/disaster/ or under 
e-filing on the Commission’s main webpage or PSHSB webpage.  Providers that have not 
previously done so will be asked to first provide contact information and obtain a User ID when 
they access DIRS.3  
Communications providers that serve areas in any of the counties or parishes listed above 
and that have already provided contact information in DIRS will be sent an e-mail requesting 
that they provide the above-referenced status information through DIRS.  We encourage all 
communications providers that have not already logged onto DIRS to input their contact 
information, do so as soon as possible.  
For further information, please contact any of the following personnel from PSHSB’s 
Cybersecurity and Communications Reliability Division:
Jeffery Goldthorp (202) 418-1096 (office), (202) 253-1595 (cell), jeffery.goldthorp@fcc.gov
John Healy (215) 847-8094 (cell), john.healy@fcc.gov
Julia Tu (202) 321-4399 (cell), julia.tu@fcc.gov
Michael Caiafa (202) 418-1311 (office), (202) 277-5690 (cell), michael.caiafa@fcc.gov
Jane Kelly (202) 418-2832 (office), (202) 503-0398 (cell), jane.kelly@fcc.gov
David Ahn, (202) 418-0853 (office), (571) 232-8487 (cell)david.ahn@fcc.gov
- FCC -
 
 
2 Because the information that communications companies input to DIRS is sensitive, for national security and/or 
commercial reasons, DIRS filings shall be treated as presumptively confidential upon filing.  See The FCC’s Public 
Safety & Homeland Security Bureau Launches the Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS), Public Notice, 
DA 07-3871, 22 FCC Rcd 16757 (2007).  To improve the utility of DIRS and facilitate Federal restoration efforts, 
the Commission will disseminate DIRS information to other Federal agencies that are authorized participants on the 
Emergency Support Function-2 (ESF-2) team.
3 The Commission requests that communications providers (wireline carriers, wireless carriers, broadcasters, and 
cable system operators) that choose to participate in DIRS provide contact information for any and all individuals in 
each company who would be providing information on the status of communications equipment in the event of a 
disaster.  Contact information includes contact name, company name, phone number, cell phone number, 
Blackberry/pager number, and e-mail address.  This information will be secured by the Commission and protected 
from public release.  
2

---