The Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (PSHSB) of the FCC has activated the Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS) in response to Hurricane Irene in the North Carolina counties of Beaufort, Bertie, Brunswick, Camden, Carteret, Chowan, Craven, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Hyde, Jones, Martin, New Hanover, Onslow, Pamlico, Pasquotank, Pender, Perquimans, Pitt, Tyrrell and Washington, and the South Carolina counties of Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Georgetown, Horry and Marion. 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, and cable providers, can use to report communications infrastructure status and situational awareness information during times of crisis.
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 or battery), and access to fuel, if they provide service in any areas listed above.
Broadcasters can accomplish this by accessing DIRS at 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.
Broadcasters that serve areas in any of the counties 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.
