A person who is interested in communications, public administration, cybersecurity and related topics may wonder, “What is the National Coordinating Center for Communications?” This federal center is a part of the Department of Homeland Security, and it plays an important role in security as it relates to communications that are critical to the public’s safety in the event of a natural disaster or terrorism. Understanding the functions of this center could help a person do well in their job in the communications sector of the economy.
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Monitoring National and International Events
The center monitors national and international events related to natural and man-made disasters. It keeps a close watch on the communications associated with those disasters. Some of the natural disasters that it monitors include hurricanes, tornadoes and floods. It may also monitor communications around an outbreak of disease, such as the Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia in 2014 through 2015. This disease outbreak spread to surrounding nations and included cases in the United States, and centralized communications were critical to informing the public about the status of the event. The center also monitors terrorism events and threats in the United States and around the world.
Coordinate Centralized Communications
This center is tasked with coordinating centralized communications. For example, a large-scale disaster may affect a wide swath of the United States. That could be a natural disaster or an act of terrorism. It is important that the public be informed of the invent and what they need to do in order to stay safe. Centralized communications inform people of the scale, response and safety measures. The centralized communications also tell people where to go and what actions they need to take in order to enhance their safety.
Identify Communications System Problems
According to the Coordinating Center for Communications, another one of its duties is to identify problems with emergency communications and communication infrastructure during and after a national emergency. The center is also tasked with resolving problems after it identifies them. In order to accomplish this, it may partner with other governmental agencies at the local, state or federal level. It may also partner with private companies in order to repair damaged infrastructure.
Lead the Communications Part of Emergency Response
The center functions as the lead of the communications portion of an emergency response. It may collect information from other government agencies, create the text or oral communication and disseminate it. For example, after a hurricane, the center may get information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about safe drinking water. It may also get information from FEMA about how people can apply for temporary housing. It could also receive information from the Department of Health and Human Services about replacement medications. It would compile the information and release it.
Anyone who works in disaster preparedness, emergency response, government, communications and related fields of expertise should know about the functions of the National Coordinating Center for Communications. Being familiar with this center, its responsibilities and scope of work could help a person in one of these fields provide better service to their constituents or customers. Understanding what is the National Coordinating Center for Communications also helps a person prepare for any type of emergency alerts and announcements to the general public.