Media Contact: 
Kate Black 202-418-2400
Kate.Black@fcc.gov

For Immediate Release

STATEMENT OF COMMISSIONER JESSICA ROSENWORCEL IN RESPONSE TO FCC’S 2017 ATLANTIC HURRICANE SEASON REPORT 

WASHINGTON, August 24, 2018: 
“Thank you to the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau for this report capturing how our communications networks fared during last year’s hurricane season.  But let’s not kid ourselves—releasing this report 85 days into the current hurricane season and as an historic storm gets closer to Hawaii’s shores, is simply too little, too late.  
 
After Hurricane Katrina, this agency established an independent panel that brought to bear a broad background of public safety and industry experiences, including first-hand knowledge of the devastation wrought.  We didn’t do that here.  After Hurricane Sandy, this agency convened a series of field hearings to help inform recommendations and action to improve network resiliency.  Again, we didn’t do that here.  Instead, we lump together four of the most destructive storms in recent history into one 38-page report with a list of recommended, voluntary best practices for federal government partners, service providers, 911 call centers, and consumers.  Harvey, Irma, Maria, and Nate all have had their names retired because of their high damage and loss of life.  In short, this slim and long-overdue review fails to capture the gravity of these storms.  
 
As we are already seeing, Mother Nature’s wrath is sure to visit us again.  I hope going forward we can make a greater effort to learn from disasters in a timely way, so we can do more to improve emergency response and infrastructure recovery.”




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Office of Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel: (202) 418-2400
Twitter: @JRosenworcel
www.fcc.gov/leadership/jessica-rosenworcel

This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action.  Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action.  See MCI v. FCC, 515 F.2d 385 (D.C. Cir. 1974).