October 2015 - JOAQUIN.
The AHC and the FRWG (Fleet Response Working Group) worked hard to assist with the information flow at the operational level in preparation for potential private sector fleet movements across multiple state lines. Initially, the situation looked daunting but seemed to shrink as time went on the storm path changed.
SUMMARY
September 2015 – Papal Visit to U.S.
The AHC coordinated with FEMA to provide support for situational awareness between public and private sector as the Pope visits Washington, D.C., Ney York City, N.Y and Philadelphia, PA. from September 23-27. Significant plans are underway to close roads and restrict access. FEMA would like to make sure that the FRWG members are kept informed at the regional level.
February / March 2015 – THOR
Winter storm THOR impacted the South, Midwest, and East during the last weekend of February and the first week of March. Sixteen states were engaged on information sharing with RMAG (Regional Mutual Assistance Group) initiated fleet movement. The AHC's FRWG’s (Fleet Response Working Group) Fleet Movement Coordination process with states helped private sector move contractors and assets into the region quickly. The process was then refined to reflect government recommendations for improvement. The Fleet Storm-Shots service was created and tested to visually show THOR’s real-time, visual impact on critical infrastructure as it moved across the Southeast. Provided early warning information to people in front of the storm’s path.
January 25, 2015 – JUNO
Winter storm JUNO impacted the Northeast (Connecticut, New York, and Massachusetts). Private sector resource movement engaged approximately 20 U.S. states, Canada and multiple FEMA Regions. States issued information on activation, declarations, waivers, road conditions, and travel bans in NYC. Operational information was electronically distributed by the FRWG to private and public sectors which helped with fleet movement and situational awareness.
February 11-12, 2014 – Snow/Ice Storms
Winter snow and ice storms impacted states in South and East Coast. Electric sector resource movement engaged 26 states and multiple FEMA Regions on East Coast. Some states issued information to the FRWG on activating their EOC (Emergency Operation Center) and issuing state declarations and waivers which was relayed electronically to private and public sectors responders. Following the storm, a new process was created to help share state information more effectively.
January 1-3, 2014 – Winter Storm Hercules
Ice storm impacted Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina along with much of the Southeastern US. Private Sector resource movement was limited and mainly within individual private sector companies. Some states issued information on emergency operations center (EOC) activations, along with state declarations and waivers. Information was electronically distributed to FRWG private and public sector members. Positive feedback was received from states and RMAGs. Following this event, the FRWG worked with RMAGs to document the process for initiation of the Fleet Movement Coordination Process. An educational webinars series was launched to educate public and private sector to the process and to the overall mutual assistance process in the electric sector.
December 4, 2013 – Winter Ice Storms
Major ice storms impacted Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas. Multiple RMAGs moved electric utility resources from 12 eastern states into central region. Private sector was seeking copies of state declarations and guidance from states on routing through/around toll/weigh stations, use of restricted roads, and state situational awareness. FRWG held three conference calls that involved coordination of 20+ states and multiple FEMA regions. Positive feedback from states, FEMA and RMAGs was received. Following this event the FRWG move to an electronic process instead of conference calls, established an automated email forwarding system to collect and distribute emails 24x7, and revised the Fleet Movement Coordination process based on RMAG and state input.
The AHC and the FRWG (Fleet Response Working Group) worked hard to assist with the information flow at the operational level in preparation for potential private sector fleet movements across multiple state lines. Initially, the situation looked daunting but seemed to shrink as time went on the storm path changed.
SUMMARY
- Operational Period: 9/30 to 10/2, 2015
- States Engaged: FL, GA, SC, NC, VA, DC, MD, PA, WV, DE, NJ, NY
- 5 State declarations received from NC, SC, VA, MD & NJ
- 2 State transportation waivers received from NC & VA
- Coordination with FEMA Region 2,3 and Headquarters
- The “fleetmove” operational email process worked 24x7 to distribute information
- The FRWG’s EZPASS Toll Station expediting process was communicated to utilities
- New webpage established for centralizing declarations and wavers (http://www.ahcusa.org/storm-central.html)
- Coordinated with Southeastern Electric Exchange and North Atlantic Mutual Assistance Groups
- Coordinated with Edison Electric Institute
September 2015 – Papal Visit to U.S.
The AHC coordinated with FEMA to provide support for situational awareness between public and private sector as the Pope visits Washington, D.C., Ney York City, N.Y and Philadelphia, PA. from September 23-27. Significant plans are underway to close roads and restrict access. FEMA would like to make sure that the FRWG members are kept informed at the regional level.
February / March 2015 – THOR
Winter storm THOR impacted the South, Midwest, and East during the last weekend of February and the first week of March. Sixteen states were engaged on information sharing with RMAG (Regional Mutual Assistance Group) initiated fleet movement. The AHC's FRWG’s (Fleet Response Working Group) Fleet Movement Coordination process with states helped private sector move contractors and assets into the region quickly. The process was then refined to reflect government recommendations for improvement. The Fleet Storm-Shots service was created and tested to visually show THOR’s real-time, visual impact on critical infrastructure as it moved across the Southeast. Provided early warning information to people in front of the storm’s path.
January 25, 2015 – JUNO
Winter storm JUNO impacted the Northeast (Connecticut, New York, and Massachusetts). Private sector resource movement engaged approximately 20 U.S. states, Canada and multiple FEMA Regions. States issued information on activation, declarations, waivers, road conditions, and travel bans in NYC. Operational information was electronically distributed by the FRWG to private and public sectors which helped with fleet movement and situational awareness.
February 11-12, 2014 – Snow/Ice Storms
Winter snow and ice storms impacted states in South and East Coast. Electric sector resource movement engaged 26 states and multiple FEMA Regions on East Coast. Some states issued information to the FRWG on activating their EOC (Emergency Operation Center) and issuing state declarations and waivers which was relayed electronically to private and public sectors responders. Following the storm, a new process was created to help share state information more effectively.
January 1-3, 2014 – Winter Storm Hercules
Ice storm impacted Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina along with much of the Southeastern US. Private Sector resource movement was limited and mainly within individual private sector companies. Some states issued information on emergency operations center (EOC) activations, along with state declarations and waivers. Information was electronically distributed to FRWG private and public sector members. Positive feedback was received from states and RMAGs. Following this event, the FRWG worked with RMAGs to document the process for initiation of the Fleet Movement Coordination Process. An educational webinars series was launched to educate public and private sector to the process and to the overall mutual assistance process in the electric sector.
December 4, 2013 – Winter Ice Storms
Major ice storms impacted Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas. Multiple RMAGs moved electric utility resources from 12 eastern states into central region. Private sector was seeking copies of state declarations and guidance from states on routing through/around toll/weigh stations, use of restricted roads, and state situational awareness. FRWG held three conference calls that involved coordination of 20+ states and multiple FEMA regions. Positive feedback from states, FEMA and RMAGs was received. Following this event the FRWG move to an electronic process instead of conference calls, established an automated email forwarding system to collect and distribute emails 24x7, and revised the Fleet Movement Coordination process based on RMAG and state input.
November 2012 - SuperStorm SANDY
No regional plans or efforts could have prepared the region and SuperStorm SANDY in 2012. Yet the public/private relationships that were developed under RCPGP (Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program) and other projects became operational to quickly respond in support of government and private sector response efforts as indicated below:
All of these solutions were made possible through trusted relationships with the private sector owner operator and vendor community. Not a single agreement or MoU was signed. Most of all of this support was provided via pro-bono services donated by the private sector. The Consortium provided the enabling framework and facilitated the trusted relationships to make this happen quickly.
Much of this resulted from the FEMA RCPGP Grant and the AHC’s Integrated Planning Initiative w/Private Sector between 2010-2012. The relationships built with the private sector would not have been possible without the continuous involvement with the AHC and its states via the AHC's Regional Integrated Planning Framework.
How were each of these solutions developed?
1) Locating Citizen and Worker Housing
The Consortium reached out to their private sector housing database partners that they have been working with under the RCE PGP grant. These partners quickly provided data that was furnished to New Jersey to enable the identification of available housing units. Within three days, the consortium and its partners identified 2850 Properties representing over 400,000 units that could potentially be used to house citizens and relief workers.
2) Citizen Protection
Working with NJ EOC, 50+ private sector companies, and a sophisticated social media analytical service provider the Consortium quickly extended the New Jersey Social Media Trend Reporting Pilot Project for an additional seven days to identify citizens that were stranded, looting, and many other issues related to SANDY. The reports and alerts were provided to the New Jersey Fusion Center/EOC along with dozens of private sector companies who had facilities and employees in affected areas. This service saved lives and property according to feedback from government and private sector.
3) Regional Rail Security
The Consortium and NJ OHSP have been working with the rail sector for over 18 months on a regional rail initiative started by WMATA. As a result of this relationship built with AAR, regional alerts were sent from AAR to the Consortium and other states to provide information to a law enforcement, private sector and emergency management on the status of rail service and events
4) Power/Utility Fleet Movement
The Consortium, along with DHS and 30+ utilities had been working on a regional initiative called the Multistate Fleet Response Initiative focused on expediting the movement of utility vehicles across state borders during emergencies. Leveraging the private sector relationships, the Consortium facilitated discussions with the power sector and New Jersey officials to develop a simple process to move trucks faster through toll gates. The process was agreed to by several states and began implementation immediately. Today, the display signs on I-95 indicated this process was being used by FEMA to support their relief convoys.
5) Daily Private Sector Resource Availability Reports for Fuel, Food, Pharmacy, & Hotels
Again, working with private sector partners, the Consortium began issuing daily private sector resource reports on an Excel spreadsheet attached to emails. The data came from point of sale systems being monitored via satellite dish and or DSL links and covered thousands of fast food restaurants, pharmacies, hotels, and fuel/gas stations across all nine of the consortium states, but primarily focused on New Jersey and New York. This private sector data became one of the central data feeds in the early stages of the storm and was recognized by FEMA as one of the single most important data sources they had during the first week in the NRCC. On several occasions, this report data was used to brief the White House as part of their daily briefings on SANDY.
No regional plans or efforts could have prepared the region and SuperStorm SANDY in 2012. Yet the public/private relationships that were developed under RCPGP (Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program) and other projects became operational to quickly respond in support of government and private sector response efforts as indicated below:
- Locating Citizen and Worker Housing - identified potentially thousands of housing units to support workers and citizens
- Citizen Protection - provided a pro-bono social media service (provided by Cyveillance) that alerted New Jersey EOC/Fusion Center and 50+ companies to information that saved lives, rescued stranded citizens and protected property
- Regional Rail Security - regional rail alerts were provided by AAR (Association of American Railroads) which kept states and owner operators informed of rail related incidents and operating status
- Power/Utility Fleet Movement - expedited utility fleet movement through toll stations via a simple, jointly developed process created by state and private sector
- Daily Private Sector Resource Availability Reports – provided daily open/closed status reports on thousands of food, fuel, pharmacy, and hotel locations to support response efforts
All of these solutions were made possible through trusted relationships with the private sector owner operator and vendor community. Not a single agreement or MoU was signed. Most of all of this support was provided via pro-bono services donated by the private sector. The Consortium provided the enabling framework and facilitated the trusted relationships to make this happen quickly.
Much of this resulted from the FEMA RCPGP Grant and the AHC’s Integrated Planning Initiative w/Private Sector between 2010-2012. The relationships built with the private sector would not have been possible without the continuous involvement with the AHC and its states via the AHC's Regional Integrated Planning Framework.
How were each of these solutions developed?
1) Locating Citizen and Worker Housing
The Consortium reached out to their private sector housing database partners that they have been working with under the RCE PGP grant. These partners quickly provided data that was furnished to New Jersey to enable the identification of available housing units. Within three days, the consortium and its partners identified 2850 Properties representing over 400,000 units that could potentially be used to house citizens and relief workers.
2) Citizen Protection
Working with NJ EOC, 50+ private sector companies, and a sophisticated social media analytical service provider the Consortium quickly extended the New Jersey Social Media Trend Reporting Pilot Project for an additional seven days to identify citizens that were stranded, looting, and many other issues related to SANDY. The reports and alerts were provided to the New Jersey Fusion Center/EOC along with dozens of private sector companies who had facilities and employees in affected areas. This service saved lives and property according to feedback from government and private sector.
3) Regional Rail Security
The Consortium and NJ OHSP have been working with the rail sector for over 18 months on a regional rail initiative started by WMATA. As a result of this relationship built with AAR, regional alerts were sent from AAR to the Consortium and other states to provide information to a law enforcement, private sector and emergency management on the status of rail service and events
4) Power/Utility Fleet Movement
The Consortium, along with DHS and 30+ utilities had been working on a regional initiative called the Multistate Fleet Response Initiative focused on expediting the movement of utility vehicles across state borders during emergencies. Leveraging the private sector relationships, the Consortium facilitated discussions with the power sector and New Jersey officials to develop a simple process to move trucks faster through toll gates. The process was agreed to by several states and began implementation immediately. Today, the display signs on I-95 indicated this process was being used by FEMA to support their relief convoys.
5) Daily Private Sector Resource Availability Reports for Fuel, Food, Pharmacy, & Hotels
Again, working with private sector partners, the Consortium began issuing daily private sector resource reports on an Excel spreadsheet attached to emails. The data came from point of sale systems being monitored via satellite dish and or DSL links and covered thousands of fast food restaurants, pharmacies, hotels, and fuel/gas stations across all nine of the consortium states, but primarily focused on New Jersey and New York. This private sector data became one of the central data feeds in the early stages of the storm and was recognized by FEMA as one of the single most important data sources they had during the first week in the NRCC. On several occasions, this report data was used to brief the White House as part of their daily briefings on SANDY.