    [House Hearing, 113 Congress]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

                       EMERGENCY MGMT 2.0: HOW #SOCIALMEDIA &
                        NEW TECH ARE TRANSFORMING PREPAREDNESS,
                        RESPONSE, & RECOVERY #DISASTERS
    =======================================================================

                                    HEARING

                                   before the

                           SUBCOMMITTEE ON EMERGENCY

                            PREPAREDNESS, RESPONSE,

                               AND COMMUNICATIONS

                                     of the

                         COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY

                            HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                        ONE HUNDRED THIRTEENTH CONGRESS

                                 FIRST SESSION

                                   __________

                         JUNE 4, 2013 and JULY 9, 2013

                                   __________

                               Serial No. 113-20

                                   __________

           Printed for the use of the Committee on Homeland Security

    [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TONGRESS.#13

          Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/

                                   __________

                      U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
    85-685                    WASHINGTON : 2014
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    Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512-1800; DC
    area (202) 512-1800 Fax: (202) 512-2104  Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC
    20402-0001

                         COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY

                       Michael T. McCaul, Texas, Chairman
    Lamar Smith, Texas                   Bennie G. Thompson, Mississippi
    Peter T. King, New York              Loretta Sanchez, California
    Mike Rogers, Alabama                 Sheila Jackson Lee, Texas
    Paul C. Broun, Georgia               Yvette D. Clarke, New York
    Candice S. Miller, Michigan, Vice    Brian Higgins, New York
        Chair                            Cedric L. Richmond, Louisiana
    Patrick Meehan, Pennsylvania         William R. Keating, Massachusetts
    Jeff Duncan, South Carolina          Ron Barber, Arizona
    Tom Marino, Pennsylvania             Dondald M. Payne, Jr., New Jersey
    Jason Chaffetz, Utah                 Beto O'Rourke, Texas
    Steven M. Palazzo, Mississippi       Tulsi Gabbard, Hawaii
    Lou Barletta, Pennsylvania           Filemon Vela, Texas
    Chris Stewart, Utah                  Steven A. Horsford, Nevada
    Richard Hudson, North Carolina       Eric Swalwell, California
    Steve Daines, Montana
    Susan W. Brooks, Indiana
    Scott Perry, Pennsylvania
    Mark Sanford, South Carolina

                           Greg Hill, Chief of Staff
              Michael Geffroy, Deputy Chief of Staff/Chief Counsel
                        Michael S. Twinchek, Chief Clerk
                    I. Lanier Avant, Minority Staff Director

    Mr. Mark Sanford of South Carolina was elected to the committee
        on June 12, 2013.
                                     ------

      SUBCOMMITTEE ON EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS, RESPONSE, AND COMMUNICATIONS

                      Susan W. Brooks, Indiana, Chairwoman
    Peter T. King, New York              Donald M. Payne, Jr., New Jersey
    Tom Marino, Pennsylvania             Yvette D. Clarke, New York
    Steven M. Palazzo, Mississippi       Brian Higgins, New York
    Scott Perry, Pennsylvania            Bennie G. Thompson, Mississippi
    Mark Sanford, South Carolina             (ex officio)
    Michael T. McCaul, Texas (ex
        officio)
                Eric B. Heighberger, Subcommittee Staff Director
                       Deborah Jordan, Subcommittee Clerk

    On June 12, 2013, Mr. Tom Marino of Pennsylvania resigned as a
        Member of the subcommittee and Mr. Mark Sanford of South
        Carolina was appointed to the vacancy.

                                C O N T E N T S

                                  ----------
                                                                       Page

                                  JUNE 4, 2013

                                   Statements

    The Honorable Susan W. Brooks, a Representative in Congress From
      the State of Indiana, and Chairwoman, Subcommittee on Emergency
      Preparedness, Response, and Communications:
      Oral Statement.................................................     1
      Prepared Statement.............................................     3
    The Honorable Donald M. Payne, Jr., a Representative in Congress
      From the State of New Jersey, and Ranking Member, Subcommittee
      on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications:
      Oral Statement.................................................     4
      Prepared Statement.............................................     5
    The Honorable Bennie G. Thompson a Representative in Congress
      From the State of Mississippi, and Ranking Member, Committee on
      Homeland Security:
      Prepared Statement.............................................     6

                                   Witnesses

    Mr. Matthew Stepka, Vice President, Technology for Social Impact,
      Google.org:
      Oral Statement.................................................     7
      Prepared Statement.............................................     9
    Mr. Jason Matthew Payne, Philanthropy Lead, Palantir
      Technologies:
      Oral Statement.................................................    16
      Prepared Statement.............................................    18
    Mr. Michael Beckerman, President and CEO, The Internet
      Association:
      Oral Statement.................................................    19
      Prepared Statement.............................................    21
    Mr. Jorge L. Cardenas, Vice President, Asset Management and
      Centralized Services, Public Service Electric and Gas Company:
      Oral Statement.................................................    27
      Prepared Statement.............................................    29

                                 For the Record

    The Honorable Donald M. Payne, Jr., a Representative in Congress
      From the State of New Jersey, and Ranking Member, Subcommittee
      on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications:
      Prepared Statement of Christine Thompson, President and Co-
        Founder of Humanity Road.....................................    47
      Prepared Statement of BEOC Alliance............................    49

                                  JULY 9, 2013
                                   Statements

    The Honorable Susan W. Brooks, a Representative in Congress From
      the State of Indiana, and Chairwoman, Subcommittee on Emergency
      Preparedness, Response, and Communications:
      Oral Statement.................................................    52
      Prepared Statement.............................................    54
    The Honorable Eric Swalwell, a Representative in Congress From
      the State of California:
      Oral Statement.................................................    59
      Prepared Statement.............................................    61
    The Honorable Bennie G. Thompson a Representative in Congress
      From the State of Mississippi, and Ranking Member, Committee on
      Homeland Security:
      Prepared Statement.............................................    63

                                   Witnesses

    Mr. Shayne Adamski, Senior Manager of Digital Engagement, Federal
      Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Department of Homeland
      Security:
      Oral Statement.................................................    64
      Prepared Statement.............................................    66
    Ms. Suzanne C. DeFrancis, Chief Public Affairs Officer, American
      Red Cross:
      Oral Statement.................................................    74
      Prepared Statement.............................................    76
    Mr. Albert Ashwood, Director, Oklahoma Department of Emergency
      Management:
      Oral Statement.................................................    83
      Prepared Statement.............................................    84
    Mr. W. Greg Kierce, Director, Jersey City Office of Emergency
      Management and Homeland Security:
      Oral Statement.................................................    88
      Prepared Statement.............................................    92

                                    Appendix

    Question From Chairwoman Susan W. Brooks for Shayne Adamski......   113
    Question From Chairwoman Susan W. Brooks for Albert Ashwood......   113

       EMERGENCY MGMT 2.0: HOW #SOCIALMEDIA & NEW TECH ARE TRANSFORMING
      PREPAREDNESS, RESPONSE, & RECOVERY #DISASTERS #PART1 #PRIVATESECTOR

                                  ----------

                             Tuesday, June 4, 2013

                 U.S. House of Representatives,
     Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response,
                                    and Communications,
                                Committee on Homeland Security,
                                                        Washington, DC.
        The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10:02 a.m., in
    Room 311, Cannon House Office Building, Hon. Susan W. Brooks
    [Chairwoman of the subcommittee] presiding.
        Present: Representatives Brooks, King, Palazzo, Perry,
    Payne, and Clarke.
        Mrs. Brooks. The Committee on Homeland Security's
    Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and
    Communications will come to order.
        The subcommittee is meeting today to examine the impact
    social media and new technology is having on disaster
    preparedness, response, and recovery.
        I now recognize myself for an opening statement.
        In today's technology-driven world, social media and other
    types of new technology are becoming one of the primary ways we
    receive, process, and relay information.
        Studies have shown that more than 60% of the people in the
    United States have at least one social media account, with many
    having multiple accounts to include Facebook pages, Twitter
    profiles, and Pinterest boards.
        While social media originally started out as a way to share
    information among family and friends, it is evident that it has
    evolved to serve other functions, such as prevalent sources for
    news, advertising, and entertainment.
        But another evolving and very important role, and the
    subject of this hearing, is its use in preparing for,
    responding to, and recovering from disasters.
        We have heard numerous stories from Hurricane Sandy and the
    Boston bombings of how citizens used Facebook, Twitter, and
    Instagram to relay information to first responders, communicate
    with loved ones, and request assistance when cell phone service
    was unavailable.
        According to the 2013 National Preparedness Report, which
    was released by FEMA last week, during Hurricane Sandy, ``Users
    sent more than 20 million Sandy-related Twitter posts, or
    `tweets,' despite the loss of cell phone service during the
    peak of the storm.''
        We have also seen how response organizations are using
    social media to quickly share public safety information and
    maintain direct communication with disaster survivors during
    and after an incident.
        The Center for Naval Analysis conducted a survey of the use
    of social media by emergency management agencies and found that
    77 percent of survey respondents use social media, with 55
    percent setting the goal of monitoring social media during an
    event.
        Even just last month during the devastating tornado in
    Oklahoma, the cities of Moore and Oklahoma City used their
    Twitter accounts, their cities' Twitter accounts, to relay
    real-time updates on open shelters, road closures, lost-and-
    found pets, and personal items. They also actively monitored
    their Twitter accounts and responded to requests for assistance
    posted by disaster survivors.
        I personally found that during the severe flooding that
    occurred in my district in Indiana in April, the Indiana
    Department of Homeland Security also used Facebook and Twitter
    to relay information to my constituents, such as how to report
    damage, where to get assistance, which was very effective and
    proved to be more efficient than using traditional media
    avenues, like television and radio. I also personally posted on
    my Facebook page to inform constituents about the flooding and
    the Federal assistance that was available.
        Social media is not the only thing that is transforming how
    we prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters. In
    January of this year, I had the opportunity to travel to
    Silicon Valley with some of my colleagues, and on that trip, we
    met with companies that were on the leading edge of new
    technology that are also contributing to the preparation for,
    response to, and recovery from disasters.
        Two of these amazing companies are here today, Google and
    Palantir, and it was amazing to see the innovation and the
    ingenuity being used by the private sector.
        It gave me hope, filled me with excitement to sit with
    representatives from these companies, learn about not only what
    they are doing, but what they are planning and what they are
    thinking about for the future.
        The management of ``big data'' and the use of social media
    provide enormous opportunities for efficiency in emergency
    management, and I believe that these companies and
    organizations before us can make a difference in how this
    country is able to prepare for and respond to disasters.
        While there are numerous examples of how social media and
    new technology have enhanced emergency management activities, I
    would be remiss to not also point out that there can be some
    pitfalls of which we need to be wary.
        For example, recent events have shown us how misleading,
    faulty, or even malicious information can escalate quickly on
    social media sites and negatively affect response efforts.
        We have also seen that social media can be used to spread
    messages of hate. Immediately after the recent terror attack
    for instance in London, the attackers actually engaged those
    who had cameras knowing that their message would make its way
    to YouTube and be broadcast around the world.
        We also must be cognizant on the limitations of technology,
    such as its reliance on power sources and internet connections.
        But I am very pleased today to be welcoming our
    distinguished panel of witnesses and we look forward to hearing
    your perspectives again, on particularly the private sector's
    involvement with Government in preparation, response to, and
    recovery in disasters.
        [The statement of Chairwoman Brooks follows:]
                    Statement of Chairwoman Susan W. Brooks
        In today's technology-driven world, social media, and other types
    of new technology are becoming one of the primary ways we receive,
    process, and relay information. Studies have shown that more than 60%
    of the people in the United States have at least one social media
    account, with many having multiple accounts to include Facebook pages,
    Twitter profiles, and Pinterest boards. While social media originally
    started out as a way to share information among friends, it is evident
    that it has evolved to serve other functions, such as a prevalent
    source for news, advertising, and entertainment.
        Another evolving role, and the subject of this hearing, is its use
    in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from disasters. We have
    heard numerous stories from Hurricane Sandy and the Boston bombings of
    how citizens used Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to relay information
    to first responders, communicate with love ones, and request assistance
    when cell phone service was unavailable. According to the 2013 National
    Preparedness Report, which was released by FEMA last week, during
    Hurricane Sandy, ``users sent more than 20 million Sandy-related
    Twitter posts, or `tweets,' despite the loss of cell phone service
    during the peak of the storm.''
        We have also seen how response organizations are using social media
    to quickly share public safety information and maintain direct
    communication with disaster survivors during and after an incident. The
    Center for Naval Analyses conducted a survey of the use of social media
    by emergency management agencies and found that 77 percent of survey
    respondents use social media, with 55 percent setting the goal of
    monitoring social media during an event.
        For example, during the devastating tornado in Oklahoma last month,
    the cities of Moore and Oklahoma City used their Twitter accounts to
    relay real-time updates on open shelters, road closures, lost-and-found
    pets, and personal items. They also actively monitored their Twitter
    accounts and responded to requests for assistance posted by disaster
    survivors.
        I personally found that during the severe flooding that occurred in
    my district in April, the Indiana Department of Homeland Security used
    Facebook and Twitter to relay information to my constituents, such as
    how to report damage and where to get assistance, which was very
    effective and proved to be more efficient than using traditional media
    avenues, like television and radio. I personally posted information on
    my Facebook page to inform constituents about the flooding and Federal
    assistance available.
        Social media is not the only thing that is transforming how we
    prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters. In January of this
    year, I had the opportunity to travel to Silicon Valley with some of my
    colleagues. On that trip, we met with companies on the leading edge of
    new technology that are also contributing to the preparation, response,
    and recovery from disasters--two are represented here today, Google and
    Palantir. It was amazing to see the innovation and ingenuity being used
    by the private sector. It gave me hope and filled me with excitement to
    sit with representatives from these companies and talk not only about
    what they are doing, but what they are planning and thinking about for
    the future. The management of ``big data'' and the use of social media
    provide enormous opportunities for efficiencies in emergency management
    and I believe that these companies and organizations before us can make
    a difference in how this country is able to prepare for and respond to
    disasters.
        While there are numerous examples of how social media and new
    technology have enhanced emergency management activities, I would be
    remiss to not point out that there are pitfalls of which we need to be
    wary. For example, recent events have shown us how misleading, faulty,
    or malicious information can escalate quickly on social media sites and
    negatively affect response efforts. We have also seen that social media
    can be used to spread messages of hate. Immediately after the recent
    terror attack in London the attackers actually engaged those with
    cameras knowing that their message would make its way to YouTube and
    broadcast around the world. We must also be cognizant on the
    limitations of technology, such as its reliance on power sources and
    internet connections.
        I am pleased to welcome our distinguished panel of witnesses and
    look forward to hearing your perspectives on this topic.

        Mrs. Brooks. I now will recognize the gentleman from New
    Jersey, Mr. Payne for any opening statement you might have.
        Mr. Payne of New Jersey. Good morning.
        I would like to thank the witnesses for being here today
    and Chairwoman Brooks for holding these series of hearings.
        The internet has changed the world. It has changed how a
    Government serves its citizens and how businesses serve its
    customers and how the public engages in the political and
    social action.
        During recent disasters from Hurricane Sandy to Boston
    Marathon bombings, the internet was used to galvanize ordinary
    citizens. After the Boston Marathon bombings, Boston residents
    used Google Docs to let marathoners know that their homes were
    open to those who were unable to get back to their hotels.
        After Hurricane Sandy, survivors used Twitter and Facebook
    to post images of the devastation caused by the storm.
    Survivors also used social media to reconnect with love ones
    and share information about gas stations, grocery stores, and
    pharmacies that were available.
        Others used social media to coordinate volunteer response
    and aid efforts. Clearly, social media and ``big data'' have
    revolutionized disaster preparedness and response activities.
        The FEMA's 2013 National Preparedness Report, which was
    released last week, found that emergency management agencies
    are increasingly using social media to disseminate information
    and are exploring additional applications of social media.
        The same report also found progress in the use of
    information management systems and on-going data integration
    efforts to improve information sharing and situation awareness.
        As Members of the Committee on Homeland Security and the
    Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness Response Communications,
    we sit in a unique position as internet technology evolves and
    the world continues to change around us.
        Our role requires us to help the Federal Government, State,
    and local first responders and the private sector harness the
    potential that the internet technology can bring to bear in
    disaster preparedness and response activities while working to
    mitigate the inherent limitations of the technology.
        Despite the benefits social media can yield, we know that
    technology can be used to spread misinformation. We know social
    media and web data are vulnerable to hacking and misuse.
        We know that unless data is integrated and organized
    properly and shared with the right people, it is useless, and
    we know that unless someone has the internet, none of this
    information is going to reach them. During disasters it is
    critical the information be accurate, secure, and accessible.
        I look forward to exploring these issues with our private-
    sector witnesses today. By launching rumor control, a website
    devoted to correcting misinformation circulated by social media
    sites, FEMA has begun to tackle some of these issues, but I
    think the witnesses here today have valuable insight to offer.
        I know the PSE&G was recently recognized for innovative use
    of social media during Hurricane Sandy. I know that PSE&G
    participates in the Business Emergency Operation Center
    Alliance in New Jersey which facilitates public and private
    information sharing during disasters. Their good work should
    provide valuable information on best practices to improve the
    use of social media during major disasters.
        I look forward to the testimony of all of our witnesses
    here today, and I yield back the balance of my time.
        [The statement of Ranking Member Payne follows:]
                Statement of Ranking Member Donald M. Payne, Jr.
                                  June 4, 2013
        The internet has changed the world--it has changed how the
    Government serves its citizens, how businesses serve its customers, and
    how the public engages in political and social action.
        During recent disasters--from Hurricane Sandy to the Boston
    Marathon bombings--the internet was used to galvanize ordinary
    citizens. After the Boston Marathon bombings, Boston-residents used
    Google Docs to let marathoners know that their homes were open to those
    unable to return to their hotels.
        After Hurricane Sandy, survivors used Twitter and Facebook to post
    images of the devastation caused by the storm.
        Survivors also used social media to reconnect with loved ones and
    share information about open gas stations, grocery stores, and
    pharmacies. Others used social media to coordinate volunteer response
    and aid efforts.
        Clearly, social media and big data have revolutionized disaster
    preparedness and response activities.
        The FEMA's 2013 National Preparedness Report, which was released
    last week, found that emergency management agencies are increasingly
    using social media to disseminate information and are exploring
    additional applications of social media. The same report also found
    progress in the use of information management systems and on-going data
    integration efforts to improve information sharing and situational
    awareness.
        As Members of the Committee on Homeland Security and the
    Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications,
    we sit in a unique position as internet technology evolves and the
    world continues to change around us.
        Our role requires us to help the Federal Government, State and
    local first responders, and the private sector harness the potential
    that internet technology can bring to bear in disaster preparedness and
    response activities, while working to mitigate the inherent limitations
    of the technology.
        Despite the benefits social media can yield, we know that the
    technology can be used to spread misinformation. We know that social
    media and web data are vulnerable to hacking and misuse.
        We know that unless data is integrated and organized properly and
    shared with the right people, it is useless. And we know that unless
    someone has internet access, none of this information is going to reach
    them.
        During disasters, it is critical the information be accurate,
    secure, and accessible.
        I look forward to exploring these issues with our private-sector
    witnesses today. By launching Rumor Control, a website devoted to
    correcting misinformation circulated by social media sites, FEMA has
    begun to tackle some of these issues.
        But I think that the witnesses here today have valuable insight to
    offer. I know the PSE&G was recently recognized for its innovative use
    of social media during Hurricane Sandy. And I know that PSE&G
    participates in the Business Emergency Operations Center Alliance in
    New Jersey, which facilitates public-private information sharing during
    disasters. Their good work should provide valuable information on best
    practices to improve the use of social media and big data during
    disasters.

        Mrs. Brooks. Other Members of the committee are reminded
    that opening statements may be submitted for the record.
        [The statement of Ranking Member Thompson follows:]
                 Statement of Ranking Member Bennie G. Thompson
        I have served on this committee for over a decade. During that
    time, I have witnessed natural disasters and terrorist attacks. And I
    have seen the use of social media evolve as a tool in our efforts to
    keep this Nation safe.
        When you compare the response following Hurricane Katrina with the
    response following Hurricane Sandy, it is clear that both the
    Government and the public have grown increasingly adept at integrating
    social media into emergency response activities.
        The advent of social media has provided the general public with new
    avenues for sharing information and organizing private response
    activities.
        And social media allows the Government and private sector to
    disseminate useful information to hundreds of thousands of people. We
    cannot underestimate the value of useful, accurate information before,
    during, and after a disaster. It can save lives.
        So while I support the innovative use of social media and big data
    in disaster preparedness and response, we must be certain that this
    technology is not only used appropriately and effectively, but also
    that the information distributed is reliable.
        I was particularly troubled by misinformation that circulated after
    the Boston Marathon bombings, which incorrectly identified a missing
    man as a possible suspect.
        And while I am not advocating censorship, I am concerned that
    social media may not have the appropriate policies in place to ensure
    either that disaster-related information is accurate, or that
    inaccurate information is quickly removed.
        Additionally, I have concerns about how law enforcement uses social
    media in executing investigations. We must take some reasonable steps
    to assure that the users of social media have a clear understanding of
    privacy rights and protections.
        Although an expectation of privacy in personal information placed
    on social media networks may not be reasonable, there is a reasonable
    expectation that the information will not be used to engage in data
    mining or otherwise target individuals who are exercising
    Constitutionally-protected rights.

        Mrs. Brooks. We are very pleased to have a very
    distinguished panel before us today for this important topic.
        First on the panel is Mr. Matthew Stepka, the vice
    president of Google.org. In this role, Mr. Stepka leads social
    impact efforts at Google including Google.org, Google Giving,
    Google Ideas, Google Green, Elections & Politics, Google for
    Non-Profits, and Crisis Response.
        Since joining Google in 2007, Mr. Stepka has led efforts in
    areas ranging from expanding internet access, developing clean
    energy, and extending Google's footprint in emerging markets.
        Next on the panel is Mr. Jason Payne who serves as the head
    of the philanthropy engineering team at Palantir technologies.
    Mr. Payne manages the implementation of Palantir's
    philanthropic endeavors and has extensive experience with
    counterterrorism and counter insurgency missions as well as of
    the rule of law and counter corruption efforts.
        Mr. Michael Beckerman is the president and CEO of the
    Internet Association, a Washington, DC trade association
    representing some of the most well-known global internet
    brands. Prior to his appointment as CEO, Mr. Beckerman served
    as 12 years as a Congressional staff member serving on the
    House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
        I would ask Ranking Member Payne to please introduce our
    next panelist.
        Mr. Payne of New Jersey. Thank you, Madam Chairwoman, and
    just for full disclosure to the committee, Mr. Payne and I are
    not related.
        Mr. Payne. Thank you.
        Mr. Payne of New Jersey. Thank you.
        Our final witness is George Cardenas, vice president of
    asset management and central services at PSE&G.
        In this role, he is responsible for electric and gas asset
    strategy and reliability, electric delivery planning, unit
    business performance and improvement, and utility operation
    services among other things.
        Prior to this position, Mr. Cardenas was the vice president
    for gas delivery with responsibility for providing gas delivery
    and appliance repair services to 1.8 million public service
    electric and gas customers.
        He is recognized as a champion for health and safety in the
    workplace. He sits on the leadership council of the American
    Gas Association and serves on the Board of Directors of the
    Northeast Gas Association and has honored with the New Jersey
    Minority Achievers award in 2004.
        Mr. Cardenas received his bachelor's degree in engineering
    from the Stevens Institute of Technology and completed the Penn
    State Executive Development program.
        He received his masters of business administration degree
    from Rutgers University Executive MBA program, and given his
    impressive background, there is no surprise that he is part of
    the leadership innovating to provide the best customer
    communications during disaster.
        Public Service Electric and Gas was recently recognized by
    CS Week and JD Power Associates for its innovative use of
    social media during Hurricane Sandy and is a member of the BEOC
    Alliance, which facilitates communications among the private
    sector during disasters.
        I am grateful for Public Service Electric and Gas' efforts,
    and I am happy to have Mr. Cardenas here to talk about Public
    Service Electric and Gas and about my home State of New
    Jersey--are on the cutting edge of using the new technology
    during disasters, which we are very proud of.
        Thank you.
        Mrs. Brooks. Thank you.
        The witness' full written statements will appear in the
    record.
        The Chairwoman now recognizes and Mr. Stepka for 5 minutes
    for your opening statement.

      STATEMENT OF MATTHEW STEPKA, VICE PRESIDENT, TECHNOLOGY FOR
                       SOCIAL IMPACT, GOOGLE.ORG

        Mr. Stepka. Chairwoman Brooks, Ranking Member Payne, and
    Members of the subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to
    appear before you today and for your interest in the importance
    of internet-based technology and disaster preparedness,
    response, and recovery.
        My name is Matthew Stepka. I am vice president of
    technology for social impact, a part of Google where we use
    trends and information and technology to address global
    challenges and make a lasting impact.
        We have learned that people turn to the internet when there
    is an emergency. We want to help ensure that the right
    information is there when people need it.
        In the first half of this year alone, millions of people
    around the world have been affected by natural disasters. Just
    2 weeks ago, we witnessed the devastating the power of
    tornadoes raging across Oklahoma. Our hearts go out to all of
    the individuals affected by these disasters.
        Our goal is to make it easier to get people the actionable
    emergency information they need when they need it most. We do
    this by organizing emergency alerts, news updates, and missing
    persons information, building tools that enable better
    communication and collaboration among responders and those
    affected by crisis, providing updated satellite imagery and
    maps of affected areas, and donating to charitable
    organizations that are on the ground helping to provide direct
    relief.
        As a result of our work, we have learned a number of
    lessons about the space. The first is that people want to find
    critical information through a familiar technology. So we
    collect and curate relevant information and make it available
    on Google tools where it is most effective.
        We add essential phone numbers, add links to the top of our
    search results, we place links on our home page, we create maps
    that show information from authorities and communities, and
    provide tools to help people connect with loved ones in the
    aftermath of disasters.
        We are able to do this thanks to the innovative technology
    all around us, and more and more things through the ubiquity of
    mobile devices. Via smartphones, we are able to send our users
    critical notifications that are relevant to them in near-real
    time based on the location and the conditions around them.
        One of our services, public alerts, compiles and displays
    authoritative emergency information across Google properties
    based on user's locations or search query.
        Four days before the Sandy storm hit the East Coast, users
    who typed in terms like Sandy, hurricane, high wind into Google
    search started seeing an official National Weather Service
    warning containing a link to more information including maps,
    news, and how to stay safe.
        Recently through a partnership with the National Center for
    Missing and Exploited Children, we started publishing Amber
    Alerts using the same public alerts platform.
        When you receive a message on your phone about a child who
    just went missing in your neighborhood or a tornado that is
    forming nearby, the first thing you will do is search for more
    information, which we can help you find.
        We also pulled crisis maps which compile authoritative
    emergency information from multiple sources into one single map
    so people no longer have to search across many websites.
        Following the Oklahoma tornadoes, for example, our team
    launched a crisis map that included Red Cross shelters, traffic
    alerts, storm reports, post-disaster imagery, and other
    information.
        A second lesson is that crowdsourcing can enhance both
    quality and timeliness of critical information. Anyone can use
    Google mapping services to create their own maps and even host
    their content and data in a scalable way. Because they are
    open-source, anyone can employ, update, and improve our tools.
        We have learned during some disasters, authoritative
    sources may not have as expansive information as individuals on
    the ground do. For example, do filling stations have gasoline?
    To answer that question during Sandy, a group of student
    volunteers called stations in New Jersey to check whether they
    were open and had gas available.
        Within a few days they had data for more than 1,000
    different stations, which was fed into our Sandy crisis map
    automatically. The Department of Energy's call center ended up
    referencing this information.
        A third lesson is that we learned, critical for emergency
    information to be available, it should be open and on-line
    formats.
        So open and secure formats which have open licenses before
    a disaster. This is critical. In the past, Google has had to
    gather emergency information from websites in non-structured
    and difficult to automate formats such as texts and PDFs and
    translate them into open standards.
        When data is not in open formats, many steps are required
    to share it and each extra step can keep critical information
    from getting to people in a timely manner.
        This is why we advocate using an open, secure, and common
    standard so that everyone has a consistent way to receive and
    share alerting information and to create useful visualization
    of the content.
        Data providers that follow these practices could update
    their information automatically making it available on-line
    securely within seconds.
        The Government can help by ensuring that important
    emergency information is available in open, interoperable
    formats. We commend the White House for the recent Executive
    Order requiring the Federal Government data to be made
    available in open machine readable formats by default. We also
    welcome steps Congress has taken to increase access to
    Government data.
        We hope that agencies with emergency information in
    particular begin adopting these standards and licensing terms
    as soon as possible.
        It is through open data that we are able to develop
    innovative alerts and other new products. With more open and
    secure data we can display more consistent and more actionable
    alerts covering things like power outages and road closures
    where there are floods. We can also send specific evacuation
    instructions to different people based on their location.
        We still have a long way to go, but we look forward to
    working alongside emergency relief organizations and
    governments to help people find the information they are
    looking for during disasters.
        Thank you very much for your time. I am happy to answer any
    questions you may have.
        [The prepared statement of Mr. Stepka follows:]
                      Prepared Statement of Matthew Stepka
                                  June 4, 2013
        Chairman Brooks, Ranking Member Payne, and Members of the
    subcommittee: Thank you for your interest in the importance of
    internet-based technology in disaster preparedness, response, and
    recovery. My name is Matthew Stepka, and I am honored to appear before
    you on behalf of Google. As vice president of technology for social
    impact, I lead our efforts to develop technologies to help address
    global challenges, including our Crisis Response initiatives.
        In the first half of this year alone, millions of people around the
    world have been affected by natural disasters in places like Iran,
    China, Australia, Japan, Indonesia, and Myanmar. Here at home, just 2
    weeks ago, we witnessed the devastating power of tornadoes raging
    across Oklahoma. Our hearts go out to all of the individuals affected
    by these disasters.
        When emergencies like these arise, people turn to the internet for
    information. Google wants to help ensure that the right information is
    there in their time of need. So we build tools to collect and share
    emergency information, and we support first responders in using
    technology to help improve and save lives.
        Google Crisis Response has been responding to natural disasters
    since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, making information such as storm
    paths, shelter locations, evacuation orders or zones, and donation
    opportunities easily accessible. More recently, Hurricane Sandy
    catalyzed a broader awareness of how the internet can play a critical
    role in crisis response. As that storm approached and then struck the
    East Coast last fall, our team at Google put everyday tools like Google
    Search and Google Maps to use, sharing emergency weather updates, maps
    of the storm path, shelters, and evacuation zones, and many other kinds
    of information across our services. For those of us with loved ones
    affected by the storm, being able to follow updates of that crisis on-
    line in near-real time was invaluable.
        During a disaster, our Crisis Response team follows the lead of
    emergency relief organizations, Government agencies, and first
    responders with the goal of supporting them with services that make it
    easier to get people the actionable emergency information they need
    when they need it most. The types of activities we might initiate
    include:
       organizing emergency alerts, news updates, and missing
            person information, and making this information visible through
            our web properties;
       building tools that enable better communication and
            collaboration among crisis responders and those affected by the
            crisis;
       providing updated satellite imagery and maps of affected
            areas to illustrate infrastructure damage and help relief
            organizations navigate disaster zones;
       donating to charitable organizations that are providing
            direct relief on the ground.
        Each time, we learn more about how governments, organizations, and
    companies can maximize the potential of the internet to assist in
    disaster preparedness and relief by providing access to actionable
    information. We believe that applying the lessons of our continual
    learning in this area can improve the use of technology in crisis
    response.
                        observations and best practices
    1. People want to find critical information through familiar
            technology.
        We know that during disasters, people look on-line to learn how to
    stay safe and we want to ensure that the right information is there in
    their time of need. In the wake of the earthquake in Sendai, Japan, 2
    years ago, we saw a massive spike in search queries coming from Hawaii
    for information about a tsunami. Unfortunately, the immediate results
    were not providing all the information those users needed because
    authoritative sources did not share that information in easily
    discoverable ways. So last year we launched a product called Public
    Alerts to make authoritative emergency information easier for our users
    to find. Through partnerships with Government agencies and other
    authoritative information providers, we are able to collate critical
    alerting information and provide instructions for how to prepare for
    severe weather conditions and other events such as wildfires and
    earthquakes.
        In incorporating public alert data from authoritative, trusted
    sources into Google Search, Google Maps, and other Google properties,
    we hope to simplify the process of finding critical emergency
    information. In order to provide the most relevant alerts to our users,
    the alert you see (if any) may depend on what alerts are active at a
    given location, their severity, your search query, your default
    location settings, or your device location.
        Four days before Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast, we began
    providing an alert for users who typed terms like ``Sandy,''
    ``hurricane,'' or ``high wind'' into our search box. An official
    National Weather Service warning appeared with a link to more
    information, including maps, news, contextual information, and steps
    people could take to keep themselves safe. To scale this initiative, we
    are currently working with official U.S. agencies, such as the National
    Weather Service and the Geological Survey, to show relevant alerts to
    Google users, and we welcome partnerships with other agencies--domestic
    and international--who publish authoritative alerts.
        We also developed an application called Crisis Map that uses our
    Maps technology to help people find information before, during, and
    after major emergency events. We use Crisis Map to provide
    authoritative information such as evacuation routes, hurricane tracks,
    disaster-related satellite imagery, and emergency alerts, by compiling
    it from multiple data sources. People no longer have to search across
    many websites for different pieces of relevant information because
    Crisis Map makes all of the data available in one central place and
    allows both agencies and individuals to create their own rich mash-ups
    of crisis data.
        As Hurricane Sandy approached landfall, we launched a general
    Crisis Map with several Sandy-related layers, including current and
    forecasted storm locations and information about cloud and wind
    conditions courtesy of NOAA's National Hurricane Center, and Public
    Alerts featuring emergency information like evacuation routes. We also
    launched a Crisis Map specific to New York City, featuring evacuation
    zone data from the NYC Datamine, information about open shelters, and
    footage from live webcams. Throughout the recovery period, our Crisis
    Maps had 15 million unique visits, with 10-20% of the visits coming
    through mobile phones and 80% of the traffic being referred through
    third parties--meaning that the maps were either shared by users or
    embedded in other sites.
    2. Crowdsourcing can enhance both quality and timeliness of critical
            information.
        Do local filling stations have gasoline? On this kind of question,
    authoritative sources often may not have as extensive intelligence on
    the ground as individuals do. Anyone can use Google's mapping tools--on
    our servers, or their own--to create their own maps and even host their
    content and data in a scalable way. In addition, by enabling user-
    generated content in Crisis Maps during Hurricane Sandy, we were able
    to share better updates than those we got from only official sources.
        While some organizations contacted us with their data for our
    Hurricane Sandy Crisis Map, other map curators and data providers
    created their own crowd-sourced maps to address challenges they
    identified locally. For example, Dr. Wansoo Im mobilized a group of
    student volunteers to call local gas stations in New Jersey to see
    whether or not they were open and check if gas was available. Within a
    few days, they had data from more than 1,000 different stations. After
    doing some additional research on-line, they put the information into a
    KML layer (a machine readable and crawlable format used to describe
    geographic information) and continued to update it through mobile
    devices and edits on desktop. The KML layer was fed into Crisis Map
    automatically and through user commenting, people were able to correct
    and update the gas layers when they became out-of-date. The Department
    of Energy ended up referencing information from this map for people who
    dialed their call centers.
        We also designed our Person Finder tool to empower individuals in
    the wake of emergencies. Person Finder is a web application that allows
    people to post and search for the status of relatives or friends
    affected by a disaster. By using an open data standard, the tool lets
    press agencies, non-governmental agencies, and others contribute to the
    database and receive updates. Websites can choose to embed Person
    Finder as a gadget on their own pages. Because it is open-source
    software, any developer can create her own instance of Person Finder
    after a disaster and help us improve the product.
        Before, those seeking missing loved ones had to sift through
    multiple websites, posting the same inquiries over and over, hoping
    that the person in question happened to register with one of these
    websites. After the earthquake in Haiti, for example, we noticed there
    were 14 separate missing persons databases spontaneously set up by
    different groups, including non-governmental organizations, newspapers,
    and volunteers. They were all running on different infrastructure, were
    not integrated, and all had different amounts of data that, if
    coordinated, could have comprised all missing persons records.
        To make this process more effective and efficient, while continuing
    to leverage the power of crowd-sourced information, our team built
    Person Finder to act as a central database, pulling the feeds from all
    14 databases and allowing users to search across all their records.
    Person Finder accepts information in a common machine-readable format
    called PFIF (People Finder Interchange Format), which was created by
    Hurricane Katrina volunteers in 2005 and allows press agencies, NGOs,
    and others to sync their own data sources to Person Finder.
        Our team worked around the clock to build and launch Person Finder
    in less than 72 hours during the early days of the crisis in Haiti. We
    have now made this resource available in more than 40 languages. The
    product is purposefully simple, fast, and easy to use. More
    importantly, it is backed by an open programmatic interface, or API.
    This means that different sites can update missing persons lists
    automatically using the common format. Because of this, The New York
    Times, CNN, NPR, and a number of other websites quickly integrated
    Person Finder, increasing its reach and resulting in a more complete
    list of missing persons.
        We have since launched Person Finder for a number of emergencies,
    both natural and man-made. For example, within an hour after bombs went
    off in Boston 2 months ago, we initiated an instance of Person Finder
    to help people locate loved ones or let family and friends know they
    were alright. In total, we hosted thousands of records after the
    tragedy. In all these emergencies, we have found that crowdsourced
    information has been crucial to provide individuals updates about their
    loved ones.
    3. Emergency information should be available on-line in open formats
            and with open licenses before a disaster.
        To be easily integrated and disseminated in the event of a crisis,
    emergency information must be readily available--in open formats, open
    licensing structures, and already on-line--in advance of a disaster.
    Otherwise there can be delays in getting information out. Each extra
    step--uploading, emailing, downloading, publishing, or putting on a
    site--can keep critical information from getting to people in a timely
    manner.
        To respond to some recent crises, Google had to gather emergency
    information from Government websites in non-structured and difficult-
    to-automate formats--such as text and PDF--and then translate them into
    open standards. When we set up our Hurricane Sandy Crisis Map, we had
    to spend time copying and pasting information about public hazards from
    a PDF. After we did so, the data quickly became obsolete, and we had to
    ask for an updated version. Generally, email attachments can take a few
    days to process and upload and need to be reloaded and integrated for
    each update, while open data feeds like KML only take minutes to
    integrate and can be updated automatically in near-real time. We are
    also often hindered by unclear licensing of data. While some datasets
    are clearly in the public domain, many essential ones are not clearly
    attributed or licensed, making them difficult to use.
        Data providers that have their information clearly licensed, in
    standard data formats, and that provide live feeds--including the
    Common Alerting Protocol (an international standard for publishing and
    sharing alerts that is used by NOAA, FEMA's iPAWS, and USGS) for Public
    Alerts, or GeoRSS (an open standard for encoding location information)
    and/or KML for Crisis Map--can update their information automatically.
    As a result, open alert data is usually available in Google tools
    within seconds of its being published.
        We advocate using an open and common standard in order for everyone
    to have a consistent way to automatically receive and share alerting
    information, to publish alerts securely using open web formats like
    Atom and RSS (XML-based languages used for web feeds), and to create
    useful visualizations of content.
       how governments can support technology efforts in crisis response
        Information dissemination in an emergency depends on several
    factors: Open and interoperable formats for emergency data, timely
    release of such data, and location awareness. Without these, it is
    extremely difficult to get the right emergency information to the right
    people at the right time.
        The ability of the internet to assist in crises depends on both
    companies' and governments' improving how they share information. Using
    divergent standards slows collaboration and response time, while speedy
    and open access enables users to easily share information and
    accelerates relief efforts.
        To pursue some of the projects we've described, Google had to
    gather emergency information from Government, NGO, and sometimes
    corporate websites in arcane formats or bare HTML and then translate
    them into open standards. Sometimes the information was spread across
    numerous websites; other times, the licensing status of the data was
    not readily apparent. Even today, some important data is not even on-
    line at all, but in someone's spreadsheet on a personal computer.
        Government can help by ensuring that important information
    important is available in open, interoperable formats. For that reason,
    we commend the White House for the recent Executive Order requiring
    that data generated by the Federal Government be made available in
    machine-readable formats by default, as well as steps Congress has
    taken to increase access to Government data. State governments also
    play an important role--the Florida Division of Emergency Management,
    for example, has been a leader in publishing preparedness data. We hope
    that agencies with emergency information in particular begin adopting
    these standards as soon as possible, so more people can access that
    information easily and speedily.
        With better open and interoperable alerting systems, private actors
    could interact with Government systems to display alerts or maps
    tailored to geography, vulnerability, and situation. Information
    providers like Google have the ability to contextualize alerts by
    providing related news and other relevant information, as well as
    linking these to sharing platforms and other social experiences that
    are critical for empowering individuals and enabling better decision
    making. They also can do so in an open manner so any other internet
    company or emergency organization can use or build on it. Public
    alerting systems must continue to evolve in ways that leverage the
    capabilities of modern digital networks to distribute vital, machine-
    readable information in crisis situations.
        With more open data we could display more consistent and more
    actionable alerts, covering things like power outages and road closures
    when there are floods, for example. In some cases, a mobile alert--
    targeted specifically to those who may be directly impacted--may help
    increase their chances of getting to safety. Today, the Commercial
    Mobile Alerting System (CMAS) can push mobile alerts that specifically
    target users who are in the predicted path of a tornado or storm, and
    Google can also provide location-specific information to supplement
    these alerts. In the future, mobile devices may enable additional types
    of alerts, such as ones with location-specific evacuation instructions
    and shelter information. This type of information is particularly
    valuable for densely-populated areas where there may be limited
    resources spread out across the region.
        We are committed to continue working with various stakeholders to
    think of more ways to make the appropriate emergency information
    available when and where people need it, including making emergency
    alerts more useful and accessible to those who may be affected by
    disasters.
                                   conclusion
        I would like to conclude by thanking Chairman Brooks, Ranking
    Member Payne, the Members of the House Subcommittee on Emergency
    Preparedness, Response, and Communications, and other Members of
    Congress who have taken an interest in technology and crisis response.
    Affordable, high-speed internet access, open data, and open standards
    are minimum requirements for a Government to be considered ``tech-
    ready'' ahead of a disaster. By ensuring that people are able to search
    and find emergency information on-line ahead of time, governments can
    reduce the amount of time it takes communicate with people when they
    need help most.
        We still have a long way to go, but we look forward to working
    alongside emergency relief organizations and governments to help people
    find the information they are looking for and improve the use of
    internet-based technologies in disaster preparedness, relief, and
    recovery.

        Mrs. Brooks. Thank you, Mr. Stepka.
        The Chairwoman now recognizes Mr. Payne for 5 minutes for
    an opening statement.

     STATEMENT OF JASON MATTHEW PAYNE, PHILANTHROPY LEAD, PALANTIR
                              TECHNOLOGIES

        Mr. Payne. Chairwoman Brooks, Ranking Member Payne, and
    Members of the subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to
    speak with you today.
        My name is Jason Payne, and I lead the philanthropy
    engineering team at Palantir technologies.
        Palantir Technologies is a Silicon Valley software company.
    We build data integration and analysis software for the
    Governmental, private, and public sectors.
        In the context of emergency preparedness, response, and
    recovery our technology on laptops and smartphones leverages
    one of the most scarce resources during disasters.
        Information; to help our partners get the right physical
    resources to the right places as soon as possible. Above here
    is a screenshot of our technology displayed on a tent of an
    emergency operation center in Oklahoma City.
        [The information follows:]

        Mr. Payne. This fusion that you are seeing here of public
    data, of Governmental data, of social data, and mobile data
    allows users to build a common operating picture to improve the
    efficacy of response efforts.
        One of our partners in Oklahoma City, Direct Relief, is a
    nonprofit that donates over $300 million of medicine every
    year. They use Palantir to integrate information from their own
    databases with social data, public data from FEMA, DHS, CDC,
    NOA, and even Google flu trends to conduct meteorological,
    social vulnerability, supply chain, and health risk analyses of
    communities throughout this Nation.
        In the context of extreme weather relief, this knowledge
    enables direct relief to pre-position supplies and medicine at
    Federally-qualified health centers before storms hit, analyze
    real-time weather data during the storm, and donate additional
    medical supplies where they are needed most in wake of the
    storm.
        Another Palantir partner, Team Rubicon, is a group of
    veterans engaged in disaster relief. They use Palantir to
    tactically understand operational environment during disaster
    response. After Hurricane Sandy, Team Rubicon used Palantir
    mobile to survey and clean up over 1,000 structures in the
    Rockaways.
        Fusing surveys collected with Palantir mobile along with
    public 3-1-1 data and even hand-written requests for help
    collected in a church parking lot, several hundred Team Rubicon
    members were able to efficiently harness over 14,000
    spontaneous community volunteers, which is a tremendous
    resource that has often been underutilized in disaster
    scenarios.
        Those volunteers, often joining through social media posts,
    removed sand, saltwater, and sheet rock from homes damaged by
    Sandy before mold set in thus keeping people in their homes.
    That large-scale success was possible because of social media,
    the veteran leadership of Team Rubicon, and acknowledged
    management that Palantir facilitated.
        As a result of our successes during Hurricane Sandy,
    Palantir has made a commitment to action with the Clinton
    Global Initiative to steer our cutting-edge technology
    capabilities to more disaster-focused organizations.
        Part of this commitment is our deployment that you see here
    in Oklahoma City with direct relief in Team Rubicon to help
    people get back on their feet after the devastating tornadoes.
        Most importantly, it is using all of this data to build a
    common operating picture that allows organizations to better
    communicate to more efficiently and more effectively help those
    on the ground that need it most.
        Through trial and error we have learned a few important
    lessons we would like to share with the committee. First, open
    data is more important than formal exchange models.
        In the context of emergent response, we believe that
    holding out for perfect gets in the way of good enough. We
    encourage Governmental organizations to adopt a Silicon Valley
    approach to interoperability to put data out in a publicly
    available, robust, standardized, secure, well-documented
    interface and let other organizations come up with innovative
    ways to leverage that data. We applaud NOAA and the Census
    Bureau among others for taking this approach.
        Second, internet and cloud technologies such as social
    media are useless without power and connectivity. We encourage
    the subcommittee to explore innovative solutions to provide
    deployable 3G and 4G mobile networks as well as mobile device
    charging stations to the public during large-scale emergencies.
        Last, we would like to highlight the need for more robust
    conversation about data access, sharing, and retention to
    ensure that the privacy and civil liberties of those affected
    by emergencies and disasters are respected at all times.
        We believe that sensitive information such as names, dates
    of birth, addresses, phone numbers, and certainly medical
    information should be shared with only those with a need to
    know that information even within an organization.
        When a large-scale emergency strikes without a doubt there
    are thousands and thousands of folks that seek to help those
    most vulnerable. There are also a few bad actors out there that
    seek to profit from those that are vulnerable.
        The technology can make a radical difference to help those
    with good intention, but can also empower those with ill. So we
    highly recommend that we look closely at how data is shared,
    leveraged, and utilized to ensure that it is used for proper
    purposes.
        New technology enables a new era, a whole new era of
    disaster response. We are humbled to be a part of that
    transformation and look forward to more work in the future to
    help those affected by disaster get back on their feet.
        This completes my prepared statement. Thank you again for
    the opportunity to join you here today.
        [The prepared statement of Mr. Payne follows:]
                   Prepared Statement of Jason Matthew Payne
                                  June 4, 2013
        Good morning. Chairwoman Brooks, Ranking Member Payne, and Members
    of the subcommittee: My name is Jason Payne, and I lead Palantir
    Technologies' Philanthropy Engineering Team. Thank you for the
    opportunity to speak with you today.
        Palantir Technologies is a Silicon Valley software company based in
    Palo Alto, California. We build data integration and analysis software
    for the Governmental, private, and public sectors. A key part of our
    work with NGOs focuses on emergency preparedness, response, and
    recovery. With our partners Team Rubicon and Direct Relief
    International, we recently made a Commitment to Action with the Clinton
    Global Initiative to bring cutting-edge technological capabilities to
    Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, or VOADs.
        The fundamental challenge of emergency preparedness, response, and
    recovery is getting the right resources to the right places, as quickly
    as possible. We believe that new technology, such as Palantir,
    significantly improves the ability of organizations to meet that
    challenge.
        Palantir can be rapidly deployed to laptops and smart phones and
    allows dispatchers and analysts working under critical time pressure to
    fuse together and analyze large amounts of data from different sources.
    Originally developed for use by the intelligence and defense community,
    the platform includes robust, built-in measures to allow users
    appropriate access and to share information across organizations while
    protecting privacy and civil liberties.
        For example, Direct Relief, a non-profit that donates over $300
    million of medicine every year, uses Palantir to integrate information
    from their own databases, partnering organizations, and public data
    from FEMA, DHS, CDC, and NOAA to conduct meteorological, social
    vulnerability, supply chain, and health-risk analyses of areas
    vulnerable to large storms.
        This resulting knowledge enables Direct Relief to pre-position
    supplies and medicine at Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs)
    before storms hit, analyze real-time weather data during the storm, and
    provide emergency medical supplies where they are needed most in the
    wake of the storm. After Hurricane Sandy, volunteers and staff on the
    ground used Palantir Mobile to collect and send data to Direct Relief
    headquarters in real time. Palantir was also used to monitor infectious
    disease trends and route donated medical resources to the areas in
    greatest need.
        While Direct Relief uses Palantir to make big-picture strategic
    decisions about resource allocation, Team Rubicon, a group of veterans
    engaged in disaster relief, uses Palantir to tactically understand the
    operational environment during a disaster response. During the response
    to Hurricane Sandy, Team Rubicon used Palantir's mobile phone
    application to quickly survey over 1,500 structures in the Rockaways.
    Fusing those surveys with public 3-1-1 data, and even paper requests
    for help collected in a church parking lot, several hundred Team
    Rubicon members were able to efficiently harness over 14,000
    spontaneous community volunteers--a tremendous resource that has often
    been underutilized in disaster scenarios.
        During the Sandy aftermath, those volunteers removed sand,
    saltwater, and sheetrock from damaged homes before mold set in, keeping
    people in their homes. That success was possible because of social
    media, Team Rubicon's leadership, and the data integration, knowledge
    management, and efficient planning that Palantir facilitated.
        As part of our Clinton Global Initiative commitment, Direct Relief,
    Team Rubicon, and Palantir are collaborating on recovery efforts in
    Oklahoma City after the devastating tornadoes on May 20 and 31.
    Leveraging on-the-ground surveys collected with Palantir Mobile, along
    with Google, NWS, HRSA, and local parcel data, these organizations are
    working together to help with both health and infrastructure response
    and recovery. Most importantly, the common operating picture that they
    are building with Palantir is being shared with other VOAD and
    Governmental organizations active in the area.
        Through trial and error, as well as success and failure, we've
    learned a few important lessons that we would like to share with the
    committee.
        First, open data portals are more important than formal information
    exchange models. In the context of emergency response data sharing, we
    believe that holding out for perfect gets in the way of good enough. We
    encourage Governmental organizations to adopt a Silicon Valley approach
    to data interoperability--put the data out publicly in a robust,
    standardized, well-documented interface and let other organizations
    come up with innovative ways to leverage the data. This is why Palantir
    makes a strong commitment to openness and provides programmatic query
    languages and web services to make all data in Palantir open. We
    applaud NOAA, NWS, and the Census Bureau, among others, for taking this
    approach.
        Second, internet and cloud technology, such as social media, are
    extremely valuable as long as people have power and connectivity.
    Without both, it's useless. We encourage the subcommittee to explore
    innovative solutions to provide deployable
    3/4G mobile networks, as well as mobile device charging stations, to
    the public during large-scale emergencies. We applaud the idea of the
    FirstNet initiative from the Department of Commerce, and suggest that
    the network be opened up to key non-profit organizations as well as
    Governmental agencies.
        Last, we would like to highlight the need for a more robust
    conversation about data access, sharing, and retention to ensure that
    the privacy and civil liberties of those affected by emergencies and
    disasters are respected at all times. When a disaster occurs, thousands
    of volunteers seek to help vulnerable people get back on their feet.
    There are also a few unscrupulous bad actors that seek to exploit and
    profit from those vulnerable people. Data can empower those altruistic
    volunteer efforts, but without correct data access and sharing
    technology, that same data can empower those bad actors.
        We believe that public data such as locations of shelters and
    medical facilities, power status reports, and satellite imagery should
    be available to all organizations and citizens. We also believe that
    sensitive information, such as names, dates of birth, addresses, phone
    numbers, social media posts, financial information, and certainly
    medical information should be shared with only those with need to know
    that information, even within an organization.
        Furthermore, we recommend that sensitive data collected during an
    emergency should be deleted when reasonably possible after emergencies.
    We encourage the development of clear data retention policies for all
    volunteer and Governmental organizations that work in the preparation,
    response, and recovery life cycle. These retention policies should be
    clearly communicated with affected individuals, State and local
    entities, commercial organizations, and VOADs to encourage all parties
    to share pertinent information.
        New technology enables a whole new era of disaster response. We are
    humbled to be a part of that transformation and look forward to more
    work in the future to help those affected by disaster get back on their
    feet.
        This completes my prepared statement. Thank you again for the
    opportunity to join you all here today.

        Mrs. Brooks. Thank you, Mr. Payne.
        The Chairwoman now recognizes Mr. Beckerman for 5 minutes
    for an opening statement.

    STATEMENT OF MICHAEL BECKERMAN, PRESIDENT AND CEO, THE INTERNET
                              ASSOCIATION

        Mr. Beckerman. Thank you.
        Chairwoman Brooks, Ranking Member Payne, and distinguished
    Members of the committee, thank you for calling this timely
    hearing. It is a pleasure to appear before you today to discuss
    how the internet and social media are transforming how
    Americans prepare, respond, and recover when disaster strikes.
        My name is Michael Beckerman. I am president and CEO of the
    Internet Association, a trade organization comprised of the
    world's leading internet companies.
        Our members have been on the forefront of efforts to
    leverage new technology and communications platforms to inform
    the public before, during, and after a disaster.
        Today I will just highlight a few examples from my written
    testimony that I submitted for the record.
        As you can see on the screen, the rise of social media,
    crowdsourcing, and the sharing economy have revolutionized how
    we interact with our friends, family, fellow citizens, and
    Government.
        Communicating during a disaster is now an interactive
    conversation. Millions of minds converge to solve problems,
    seek out answers, and disseminate vital information. The
    convergence of social networks and mobile has thrown the old
    response playbook out the window.
        The earthquake that rocked Haiti in January 2010 served as
    an example of the opportunity social media and mobile
    technology provide to support the great work of our disaster
    response professionals.
        A few hours after the earthquake, a man who was trapped
    with 20 other people under a collapsed building in Port-au-
    Prince managed to send a photograph of the wreckage from his
    phone to a cousin in Chicago. The cousin then tweeted the
    photograph to @RedCross and first responders in Haiti were able
    to rescue them. In previous disasters, these victims may not
    have been rescued in time.
        Applying the lessons learned from Haiti, a protocol has
    begun to emerge. Facebook's disaster relief page, which was
    created during the Haiti earthquake is now used any time a
    disaster strikes.
        The American Red Cross' Facebook page has over a quarter-
    million people following them to learn about disasters, how
    they can donate both blood and money, and get information in
    real time.
        Beyond the dissemination of disaster information and
    donations, the Red Cross has also established a social media
    command center. This allows them to better serve those who need
    help, spot trends in real time, and anticipate the public's
    needs. It not only connects people with food, water, shelter,
    but it also helps provide emotional support when they need it
    most.
        When a tornado devastated Tuscaloosa in 2011, a local
    school system went on-line and posted a request for volunteers
    to help clean up their school. Amazingly, 80 people showed up
    in less than 30 minutes.
        This response typifies the unmatched power of social media.
    You would be hard-pressed to make these phone calls in 30
    minutes, let alone have an outpouring of 80 people show up that
    quickly.
        Just last fall when Hurricane Sandy ravaged the coastline
    of my home State of New Jersey, people took to the internet to
    document their experience. In fact, FEMA encouraged people to
    ``Let loved ones that know you are okay by sending a text
    message or updating your social network.''
        In a truly miraculous story coming out of Hurricane Sandy,
    a woman noticed a Facebook post showing the badly-hit South
    Seaside Park, and she knew her 93-year-old grandmother was
    there trapped, and she sent a message to this page, and as a
    result, her grandmother was evacuated and saved.
        One of the Internet Association member companies, Airbnb,
    sprang into action following the hurricane as well. As you may
    know, Airbnb as an on-line marketplace that helps find housing
    accommodations.
        With more than 100,000 people still homeless a week after
    Sandy, Airbnb partnered with the city of New York to connect to
    those without shelter to people that had extra space. As you
    can see on the screen, nearly 1,500 Airbnb members opened their
    homes for free to provide shelter to people in need.
        Finally, just last month, in Oklahoma, social media
    supplemented the traditional means of spreading the message to
    take shelter. In the immediate aftermath of the tornado, FEMA
    again encouraged survivors to update their social networks to
    let loved ones know their whereabouts so families could be
    reconnected.
        Social media has also changed the way American citizens
    respond to try to be. The city of Moore, Oklahoma, for example,
    as you see on the screen, used its Facebook page to inform
    citizens on ways they could help.
        Social media platforms like Flickr and Instagram allow
    people from all over the country and all over the world see
    both wreckage and hope in real time. Seeing these unfiltered
    images in real time help tells the story in ways that
    traditional media never could and allows people to feel
    connected, giving them an even greater desire to help.
        The internet has served as a remarkable tool to save lives,
    facilitate philanthropic relief efforts, and improve disaster
    responsiveness, but there is always work to be done.
        Responding to this challenge will require a collaborative
    effort among the Government agencies, first responders,
    technology companies, and the general public.
        It is our pledge that the Internet Association will do our
    part working with our companies to facilitate these
    conversations between Government and technology companies to
    help harness the power of social media and strengthen our
    Nation's emergency preparedness for the 21st Century.
        Thank you.
        [The prepared statement of Mr. Beckerman follows:]
                    Prepared Statement of Michael Beckerman
                                  June 4, 2013
                                  introduction
        Chairwoman Brooks, Ranking Member Payne, and distinguished Members
    of the committee, thank you for calling this timely and important
    hearing. It is a pleasure and an honor to appear before you today to
    discuss how the internet and social media and are transforming how
    Americans prepare, respond, and recover when disaster strikes.
        My name is Michael Beckerman, and I am the president and CEO of the
    Internet Association, a trade organization comprised of 17 leading
    internet companies across the globe, including AOL, Airbnb, Amazon.com,
    ebay, Expedia, Facebook, Google, IAC, LinkedIn, Monster, Path,
    Rackspace, Salesforce.com, SurveyMonkey, TripAdvisor, Yahoo, and Zynga.
    Our members have been on the forefront of efforts to leverage new
    technology and communication platforms to inform the public before,
    during, and after a disaster, and to facilitate recovery and
    reconstruction efforts in the aftermath. We deeply appreciate the
    opportunity to share the perspective of our membership with the
    committee today.
        The rise of social media, ``crowd-sourcing'' and the ``share
    economy'' has revolutionized how we interact with our friends, family,
    fellow citizens, and Government. Communicating during a disaster is now
    an interactive conversation. Millions of minds converge to solve
    problems, seek out answers and disseminate vital information. Important
    news can be shared with millions, and by millions, quickly and
    efficiently. The social web is challenging emergency managers,
    Government agencies, and aid organizations to adapt time-honored
    expertise with real-time information from the public (Please see
    Exhibit A). In short, the convergence of social networks and mobile has
    thrown the old response playbook out the window.
           then and now: evolution of technology in disaster response
        The power and promise of the internet was on full display in the
    immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, one of the most devastating
    natural disasters this country has ever experienced. When this
    catastrophic storm ravaged the city of New Orleans and its surrounding
    areas, it claimed many lives, displaced hundreds of thousands of
    people, and left billions of dollars worth of damage with its wreckage.
        During an emergency, information is the most valuable commodity.
    After the storm, the internet played an important role in mitigating
    the breakdown of communication that is typical during times of
    disaster. According to the Pew Research Center, about 50% of all
    internet users received news about the hurricane not only from
    mainstream media websites but also from blogs.\1\ A quarter of on-line
    users shared e-mails or instant messages about the storm while others
    used the internet to check on someone's safety.\2\
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        \1\ Stephen Morris and John Horrigan, ``13 million Americans made
    donations online after Hurricane Katrina and Rita,'' http://
    www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2005/13-million-Americans-made-donations-
    online-after-Hurricanes-Katrina-and-Rita/Data-Memo.aspx (Nov. 24,
    2005).
        \2\ Id.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        The water's recession revealed the true extent of the devastation,
    which inspired the rest of the country and the world to make monetary
    contributions critical to rebuilding the city. In just a few short
    weeks after the storm, private donations neared about $2.7 billion.\3\
    In reaching this record-setting level, the internet served as an
    important outlet for relief donations with about 13 million Americans
    turning to on-line sources to provide donations.\4\
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        \3\ Thomas Frank, ``Katrina inspires record charity,'' USA TODAY
    http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-11-13-katrina-
    charity_x.htm?csp=34 (Nov. 13, 2005).
        \4\ Stephen Morris and John Horrigan, ``13 million Americans made
    donations online after Hurricane Katrina and Rita,'' http://
    www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2005/13-million-Americans-made-donations-
    online-after-Hurricanes-Katrina-and-Rita/Data-Memo.aspx (Nov. 24,
    2005).
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        That was 2005--only a year after Mark Zuckerberg created Facebook,
    before Twitter came into existence and even before smartphones became
    as ubiquitous as they are today. Since then, our member companies have
    continued to innovate, achieving significant advancements in on-line
    tools and services such as social media. Today, crowd-sourcing and
    social media allow information to be shared in real time, allowing
    first responders to reach victims much faster than before.
        In the years since Hurricane Katrina, many wonder how the robust
    and well-developed social media websites we enjoy today could have been
    leveraged. Could we have saved more lives had there been a full-fledged
    Facebook or Twitter?
        The 7.0 magnitude earthquake that rocked Haiti in January of 2010
    served as an example of the opportunities social media and mobile
    technology present to support the great work of our disaster response
    professionals.
        Within a few hours of the quake, a man trapped with 20 other people
    under a collapsed building in Port-au-Prince managed to send a photo of
    the wreckage from his phone to a cousin in Chicago. The cousin tweeted
    the photo to ``@RedCross'' and the Red Cross in turn relayed the
    location to first responders in Haiti. In previous disasters, these
    victims may not have been rescued in time. In other instances, using
    geo-location technology built into phones, allowed rescue workers to
    pinpoint the location of trapped victims and save many lives.
        To cite one prominent example of innovation in disaster response
    from our membership, immediately after the 2010 Haiti earthquake,
    Google worked with the United States Department of State to create
    Google Person Finder, an on-line registry and message board for
    survivors, family, and loved ones affected by a natural disaster
    allowing them to post and search for information about each other's
    status and whereabouts. Google Person Finder launched in English,
    French, and Haitian Creole on January 15, less than 3 days after the
    earthquake.
        Social media a vital role in the critical days and weeks after a
    disaster, when efforts transition from response to recovery. In a
    connected, borderless medium, the excuse that donating relief money is
    too complicated and confusing has largely been eradicated through text
    messaging and social media. In the first 48 hours following the Haitian
    Earthquake, the Red Cross raised more than $3 million dollars from
    people texting a $10 donation. ``Crowd funding'' empowers citizens to
    donate to, and solicit donations for, victims of disasters through
    posts to Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, Twitter and other social media
    sites.
        To highlight just a few examples from The Internet Association
    membership:
       Facebook launched the Disaster Relief on Facebook Page,
            where millions of people could educate themselves and find out
            how to help.
       Zynga, the on-line gaming company, was able to raise nearly
            $3 million for relief efforts from their game players.
       Amazon.com customers gave more than $750,000 through the
            Amazon.com website.
        Through a corporate campaign, Expedia, Inc. donated $200,000 to the
            United Nations and held a special 2:1 match, with employees
            donating an additional $75,000 (total donation of $270,000 to
            the United Nations).
        Applying the lessons learned from the Haiti disaster, a protocol
    has begun to emerge. Facebook's Disaster Relief Page is now used for
    wherever disaster and misfortune may strike. The American Red Cross's
    Facebook page alone now has more than half a million fans to which the
    organization delivers disaster news and allows people to donate both
    blood and money.
        Beyond the dissemination of disaster information and donations, the
    Red Cross has established a Social Media Command Center--the first
    social media-based operation devoted to humanitarian relief. Located in
    the Red Cross National Disaster Operations Center in Washington, DC,
    the center is expanding the Red Cross's ability to engage with the
    public during emergencies and enabling Red Cross team members to
    determine where to position workers on the ground. The command center
    allows the Red Cross to better serve those who need help, spot trends,
    and better anticipate the public's needs; and connect people with the
    resources they need, like food, water, shelter, or even emotional
    support.
        Additionally, the Red Cross has established a Social Media
    Volunteer Corps program to help respond to questions from and provide
    information to the public during disasters. The Red Cross has conducted
    numerous webinars to train this new digital volunteer army, who have
    played critical roles in working to verify and curate the incredible
    volume of data during disasters, notifying Digital Operations Center
    staff of on-line trends and situational information that can inform
    disaster-response efforts. Google's work on the Haiti earthquake led to
    the formation of the Google Crisis Response team, which has launched
    Google Person Finder again for several subsequent disasters, in many
    different languages and with a variety of data exchange partners.
    Before I conclude, I'd like to quickly touch on a few more recent
    disasters and highlights some social media success stories from among
    our membership.
        Japan Tsunami, March 2011.--Images of entire cities being crushed
    under water half a world away left many Americans feeling helpless.
    Luckily we have companies like Amazon.com, which offered homepage
    placement to the American Red Cross and Mercy Corps in addition to
    donating their payment technology. This led to more than $1.8 million
    in relief aid for our friends in Japan. Social media played an
    important role as the most efficient and reliable way to connect with
    relatives. Even the U.S. State Department took to Twitter to publish
    emergency number and inform Japanese residents in America of how to
    contact their families affected in Japan.\5\
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        \5\ Harry Wallop, ``Japan earthquake: how Twitter and Facebook
    helped,'' http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/twitter/8379101/Japan-
    earthquake-how-Twitter-and-Facebook-helped.html (Mar. 13, 2011).
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        Tuscaloosa, AL and Joplin, MO Tornados, April & May 2011.--When a
    tornado devastated Tuscaloosa, Alabama, a local school system went on-
    line to post a request for volunteers to help clean up their school--
    amazingly, 80 people showed up in less than 30 minutes. This typifies
    the unmatched power of social media; you would be hard-pressed to make
    40 phone calls in 30 minutes, never mind 80. As users leverage our
    member companies' services, our member companies also lend their
    manpower and expertise in the recovery process. Expedia, Inc. employees
    continue to volunteer to provide their on-going support in the clean-up
    and recovery effort.
        Hurricane Sandy, October 2012.--When last fall's once-in-a-century
    type storm slammed our eastern seaboard, people took to the internet to
    document their experience. The volume was so large that the Red Cross
    asked 23 staffers to monitor over 2.5 million social media posts; of
    which, 4,500 were tagged for first responders to follow up on.
        New York City itself turned to Twitter to seek out emergency-
    related tweets in the aftermath of the storm. For instance, the city's
    Chief Digital Officer organized responses to hundreds of Twitter
    questions pouring in for those in need of accurate information.\6\ In
    addition to disseminating information, the Fire Department of New
    York's Social Media Manager used Twitter to serve as a liaison between
    those residents in distress and firefighters and EMS members. As phone
    lines remained down, the Social Media Manager responded to tweets
    requesting assistance by collecting phone numbers and the details of
    the emergency then relayed that information to first responders.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        \6\ Chris Moody, Meet FDNY's one-woman Twitter response team
    guiding New Yorkers through storm, http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/
    meet-fdny-one-woman-twitter-response-team-guiding-141143449.html (Oct.
    30, 2012).
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        Airbnb, an on-line marketplace for users to find housing
    accommodations, sprang into action following Hurricane Sandy. With more
    than 100,000 people still homeless a week after Hurricane Sandy hit the
    Northeast, Airbnb partnered with the city of New York to connect those
    without shelter to people who had extra space. Nearly 1,500 Airbnb
    members opened up their homes for free to people in need. Please See
    Exhibit B.
        Justin Ausiello's Jersey Shore Hurricane News Facebook page became
    a trusted place for information and served as a crucial tool for those
    affected by the hurricane, by informing citizens about shelters,
    supplies, and news.\7\ In a truly miraculous story, a woman noticed a
    post on Mr. Ausiello's page of the badly-hit South Seaside Park, where
    her 93-year-old, diabetic grandmother was trapped. After the woman sent
    a message to the News Page, her grandmother was subsequently rescued.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        \7\ Jersey Shore Hurricane News, https://www.facebook.com/
    JerseyShoreHurricane- News?sid=0.9051242845943719--last visited June 3,
    2013.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        Ebay Inc., an on-line market place for consumers, coordinated a
    company-wide effort to support the massive community relief and
    recovery effort and looked to more than 210,000 users for assistance.
    As a result, StubHub, ebay, and PayPal facilitated over $10 million of
    support for Hurricane Sandy relief.
        Moore, Oklahoma Tornado, May 2013.--Thanks to advanced technology
    and excellent meteorologists, Oklahomans knew of the tornado risks days
    in advance. Social media supplemented traditional means of spreading
    the message to take shelter. In the immediate aftermath, FEMA
    encouraged survivors to update their social networks to let their loved
    ones know their whereabouts, if they were safe or needed emergency
    assistance. Along with the Red Cross, cities, animal assistance groups,
    and prayer/religious support groups now have a strong presence on
    social media.
        Social media has changed the way American citizens respond to
    tragedy. The city of Moore uses its Facebook page to inform citizens on
    ways they can help. (Please see Exhibit C). Social media platforms like
    Flickr and Instagram allowed people from all over the country to see
    the both the wreckage and the hope in Moore, Oklahoma on their computer
    screens, tablets, and smartphones. Seeing unfiltered images in real
    time tells the story in ways the traditional news media is unable to,
    and allows people to feel connected giving them an even greater desire
    to help.
        Continuing similar efforts as it did with Hurricane Sandy, ebay is
    promoting and facilitating customer donations. In addition to providing
    an opportunity on its home page for customers to make contributions,
    sellers, and buyers have other options available to them. For instance,
    sellers may donate a percentage of their sale proceeds to a featured
    relief organization or buyers may purchase items via the website that
    benefit relief organizations, marked with a special charity icon.
    Additionally, PayPal powers payment processing for partner
    organizations and personal fundraisers.
                                   conclusion
        The internet has served as a remarkable tool to save lives,
    facilitate unprecedented philanthropic relief efforts, and improve
    disaster responsiveness.
        And yet, there are still challenges that remain. Emergency response
    professionals are not yet fully ready to collect, respond, or react to
    the incoming stream of social data in a timely manner. Responding to
    this challenge will require a collaborative effort among Government
    agencies, first responders, technology companies, public safety
    officials, and the general public.
        It is my pledge to you that The Internet Association will do its
    part to facilitate these conversations and collaborations so that we
    can harness the power of social media and strengthen our Nation's
    emergency preparedness, response, and recovery for the 21st Century.
                                 Exhibit A \8\
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        \8\ First Image: Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin's Twitter Post
    Updates. Also available at http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/05/21/
    oklahoma-tornados-2013-killed_n_3310410.- html (last visited May 31,
    2013). Second Image: Instagram Photo of Oklahoma Tornado Aftermath by
    lynn_love.

                 Exhibit B--The City of Moore Facebook Page \9\
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        \9\ The City of Moore, https://www.facebook.com/cityofmoore (last
    visited June 3, 2013).

                   Exhibit C--AirBnb Page for Hurricane Sandy

        Mrs. Brooks. Thank you, Mr. Beckerman.
        The Chairwoman now recognizes Mr. Cardenas for 5 minutes
    for an opening statement.

         STATEMENT OF JORGE L. CARDENAS, VICE PRESIDENT, ASSET
     MANAGEMENT AND CENTRALIZED SERVICES, PUBLIC SERVICE ELECTRIC
                            AND GAS COMPANY

        Mr. Cardenas. Chairman Brooks, Ranking Member Payne, and
    Members of the subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to
    appear before you today.
        My name is Jorge Cardenas. I am vice president of asset
    management and centralized services for Public Service Electric
    and Gas Company, which is New Jersey's largest utility, best
    known as PSE&G.
        PSE&G's service territory includes all of New Jersey's
    major urban areas. We serve some 2.2 million electric customers
    and 1.8 million gas customers. These really has come together
    to be about 70 percent of the population of New Jersey.
        Superstorm Sandy hit New Jersey hard. In our service
    territory, it took down 48,000 trees which impacted our
    distribution system. It destroyed 2,400 utility poles--many of
    them were snapped like toothpicks--drove walls of water into 29
    of our switching and substations, and damaged our gas lines and
    meters.
        Over 40,000 of our gas customers were impacted and almost 2
    million of our electric customers lost power. Restoration
    efforts were impeded by a forceful nor'easter that hit a week
    later. The impact of destruction and the complexity of the work
    to restore service made communications of all kinds a key
    component of the Sandy recovery effort.
        Before I discuss our social media experience, let me also
    note the importance of smart grid technology, which enables
    utilities to obtain critical information that can help pinpoint
    problems and automate restoration.
        Smart grid technology enhances our ability to communicate
    with our own system. It can dramatically shorten the time it
    takes to restore service in the aftermath of a storm and can
    prevent outages from becoming widespread.
        That is why in New Jersey we have proposed $450 million
    investment in smart grid technology as part of our energy
    strong proposal, which will harden our system against these
    types of extraordinary weather events, those we have
    experienced over the recent past.
        Turning to social media, we used email and Twitter the days
    before the storm to communicate about safety and to help people
    prepare, and after the storm passed we use them to explain the
    historic amounts of damage and the huge effort it would take to
    rebuild.
        We used Twitter to advise on the daily location of our
    giant tents and generators which allowed customers to charge
    electronic equipment, get free ice, water, and food. We
    explained the importance of reporting outages and damaged
    equipment and the correct method to do so, so we can take
    action.
        We educated the public about what we were doing to get
    power to refineries, hospitals, schools, businesses, and homes.
    While we had historically used social media only during
    business hours and with a small group of employees, we quickly
    staffed up for 17 days, operated our Twitter feeds 15 hours a
    day, 7 days a week.
        We sent more than 9,000 messages and saw some 90,000
    directed at us. At one point during the storm we sent so many
    tweets that we exceeded our daily allowances. Through our
    utility contacts we reached the leadership of Twitter to expand
    our capacity. That is a lesson learned for the next storm.
        Ultimately, we added over 47,000 followers during the time
    of the storm. When we exited the storm, we had the largest
    following of any utility in the United States.
        Our innovative use of social media has been noticed outside
    the company. In a recent report, JD Power and Associates cited
    our industry-leading communication success. Following Sandy,
    the utility customer service non-profit CS Week gave PSE&G an
    award for our use of social media during the storm.
        Here are some of our key takeaways; lessons learned. Mobile
    technology is a game changer. More than half of Americans have
    a smart phone and more and more people in almost every age
    demographic are active on social media. People have an
    increasing and insatiable need to be connected even more so in
    times of emergency.
        They want to be heard. They want to be validated. They want
    to help and influence us. The number of people on social media
    spikes in times of disaster. People flock to Twitter and
    Facebook and the like because they are searching for immediate
    information that they can't get via traditional broadcast
    channels.
        Engaging influencers is critical. It is just as important
    to grow the influence of your on-line community as it is to
    grow its size. Connecting with people who have credibility in
    their local communities is critical to an organization's
    ability to spread its message.
        The public respects and rewards consistent, transparent
    interaction and cooperation between the private sector and
    community leaders. During Sandy we used Twitter to amplify
    messages from municipal and State officials, police
    departments, Office of Emergency Management, and social service
    agencies helping get valuable information right away to those
    who needed it.
        Tone matters. It does matter a lot. People respect a social
    media effort that is continuously empathetic, authentic, and
    helpful. Public notes of appreciation matter too, especially to
    the fiercely proud people who work in the utility industry. We
    regard ourselves as first responders and supportive messages
    can go a long way with a weary employee base in need of a
    boost.
        In closing, Sandy hit home how important it is to continue
    to improve our ability to communicate in an increasingly 24/7
    connected and cyber-savvy world.
        To that end, I want to thank Congressman Payne for working
    with us on a National Research Council study that will help our
    industry use digital information to improve reliability and
    resiliency and help us understand our vulnerabilities to cyber-
    attacks.
        Thank you again for the opportunity to share our
    experience.
        [The prepared statement of Mr. Cardenas follows:]
                    Prepared Statement of Jorge L. Cardenas
                                  June 4, 2013
        Chairman Brooks, Ranking Member Payne, and Members of the
    subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you here
    today.
        My name is Jorge Cardenas. I am vice president of asset management
    and centralized services for Public Service Electric and Gas Company,
    which is New Jersey's largest utility company, best known as PSE&G.
        PSE&G's service territory includes all of New Jersey's major urban
    areas, along a 2,600-square-mile north-south corridor that hugs much of
    the New Jersey Turnpike. We serve some 2.2 million electric customers,
    and 1.8 million gas customers.
        PSE&G is a subsidiary of Public Service Enterprise Group, an
    integrated generation and energy company headquartered in Newark, New
    Jersey.
        I appreciate your invitation to appear at today's hearing to
    discuss the use of social media and technology during disaster.
        Superstorm Sandy hit New Jersey hard. In our service territory, it
    took down 48,000 trees affecting our distribution system, destroyed
    2,400 utility poles, drove walls of water into 29 of our switching and
    substations, and damaged gas lines and meters.
        The damage, and the impact to our system, was unprecedented.
        All in all, over 40,000 of our gas customers were impacted; many
    needing their heating systems repaired and their gas meters and
    regulators replaced, and 90 percent of our electric customers--almost 2
    million--lost power. Restoration efforts were impeded by a forceful
    nor'easter that hit a week later.
        The impact of the destruction and the complexity of the work that
    needed to be done in order to restore service made communication--of
    all kinds--a key component of the Sandy recovery effort.
        I'm here primarily to talk about our use of social media, but let
    me also note the importance of smart grid technology which makes it
    possible for utilities like ours to obtain critical information that
    can help pinpoint problems and automate restoration. Smart grid
    technology can dramatically shorten the time it takes to restore
    service in the aftermath of a storm, and can prevent outages from
    becoming widespread.
        That's why, in New Jersey, we have proposed a $450 million
    investment in smart grid technology as part of our $3.9 billion
    ``Energy Strong'' proposal, which will harden our system against the
    types of extraordinary weather events that have hit our area over the
    last few years.
        Now I'd like to talk in more detail about our experience with
    social media and its value as a communications tool for a storm event
    like Sandy.
        We already had email addresses for about 800,000 customers and
    almost 15,000 people in our Twitter community, and the ability to
    communicate directly was helpful.
        We used email and Twitter in the days before Sandy to communicate
    about safety and to help people prepare. After the storm passed, we
    used them to explain the historic amount of damage and the Herculean
    effort it would take to clean up and rebuild.
        We explained the importance of reporting outages and damaged
    equipment, and the correct method for doing so.
        We supplemented the messages we typically send in a storm through
    traditional media outlets with a greater number of proactive outbound
    phone calls to customers, daily conference calls with local leaders,
    more frequent emails to stakeholders, and a much stronger social media
    presence than we had ever before attempted.
        We educated customers and community leaders about our inspection
    and restoration process for getting power to refineries, as well as
    heat and light to hospitals, schools, businesses, and homes.
        Throughout it all, we were frank about the challenges and setbacks
    we faced--as well as our victories.
        That consistent and transparent dialogue helped our customers and
    the communities we serve set expectations and plan appropriately.
        We not only listened and pushed out valuable information--we talked
    with people. That was a differentiator.
        For our part, we're proud of the speed and flexibility with which
    we ramped up, our ability to adapt to the magnitude of the situation,
    the volume of interactions we handled via social media and the intense
    and sustained nature of our efforts.
        While we had historically used social media only during business
    hours and with a small group of people at the helm, we quickly staffed
    up and, for 17 days, staffed our Twitter feeds 15 hours a day, 7 days a
    week.
        We used Twitter to send word about the daily locations of our giant
    tents and generators--which allowed customers in hard-hit areas to
    charge their electronic equipment and get free ice, water, and food.
        We sent more than 9,000 messages (more than 500 a day) and saw some
    90,000 directed at us. When the volume of in-bound tweets became too
    great to us to reply to each individually, we responded to messages
    about safety and offered comment when we felt it could benefit a broad
    audience.
        At one point during the storm, we sent so many tweets to alert
    customers, we exceeded the amount of tweets allowed per day. Through
    our utility contacts, we reached the leadership of Twitter to expand
    our capacity. A lesson learned for the next storm.
        We gained almost 47,000 followers during this time, and exited the
    Superstorm with the largest Twitter community of any utility in the
    United States.
        Our innovative use of social media was certainly noticed. In a
    recent report, JD Power and Associates mentioned our use of Twitter
    during Sandy as a best practice, citing our ``industry-leading
    communications success.''
        And CS Week, a nonprofit that focuses on customer service for
    utilities, recently gave PSE&G an award for ``Innovation in Customer
    Service'' for its use of social media during Sandy.
        While we are back to a more reasonable pace now, we are now more
    convinced than ever about the power and importance of social media--
    especially in times of emergency.
        We continue to build and engage our on-line communities with the
    understanding that ``blue sky days'' are different than those marked by
    crises, and social media and mobile technology are an increasingly
    important part our communications strategy.
        Here are some other things we learned:
        1. Mobile technology is a game changer.--More than half of
            Americans have a smart phone, and more and more people--in
            almost every age demographic--are active on social media.
        2. People have an increasing and insatiable need to be connected.--
            Even more so in times of emergency. They want to be heard, to
            be validated, to help and to influence. Understanding that, and
            honoring it, is key to creating community and getting through
            crises.
        3. The number of people on social media spikes in times of
            disaster.--People flock to Twitter and Facebook and the like
            because they are searching for immediate information that they
            can't get via traditional broadcast channels. And the big
            social media platforms are all mobile-optimized.
        4. Engaging influencers is critical.--It's just as important to
            grow the influence of your on-line community as it is to grow
            the size. Connecting with people who have credibility and
            influence in their local communities is critical to an
            organization's ability to spread its message outside of its own
            networks, and increase the effectiveness of the communication.
        5. The public respects and rewards consistent, transparent
            interaction and cooperation between the private sector and
            community leaders.--During Sandy we used Twitter to amplify
            messages from municipal and State officials, police
            departments, Offices of Emergency Management and social service
            agencies--and that was integral in getting valuable information
            to those who needed it when it was needed.
        6. Tone matters.--People respect a social media effort that is
            continuously empathetic, authentic, and helpful.
        7. Public notes of appreciation matter too, especially to the
            fiercely proud people who work in the utility industry.--We
            regard ourselves as first responders, and supportive messages
            can go a long way with a weary employee base in need of a
            morale boost.
        So--how do we build on this experience at PSE&G?
        Today our customers can access outage maps on our website and get
    information about safety and our outage reporting and restoration
    processes.
        We are optimizing these pages and other parts of our website so
    that they can be more easily utilized via smart phones.
        While we have some exciting new texting capabilities, we are
    looking to enrich our offerings even further so that customers can
    report their outages via text and get updates from us as we make
    progress on restoring their service.
        And we are working on developing separate web pages for each of the
    municipalities we serve, which will provide localized information
    including an estimated time of restoration for specific geographic
    areas.
        Sandy reminded us how important it is to continue to improve our
    ability to communicate in an increasingly 24/7, connected, and cyber-
    savvy world. We continue to work with our peers both within the energy
    industry and in other industries to learn and develop best practices.
        While I work for the utility company, it is worth noting for this
    committee that the generation side of our business has begun
    incorporating social media into its emergency planning.
        Working with the Nuclear Energy Institute, PSEG Nuclear has begun
    to transform its existing news center operations into a virtual joint
    information system (JIS).
        The virtual JIS would incorporate social media platforms and a dark
    website to share information with the public in the event of a nuclear
    plant emergency.
        The plan incorporates NEI's lessons learned through the tragedy in
    Japan as well as PSEG's learnings from Superstorm Sandy.
        This process is being developed with support from the New Jersey
    Office of Emergency Management as well as the Delaware Emergency
    Management Agency. It would also meet requirements established by the
    Federal Emergency Management Agency.
        Finally, I want to thank Congressman Payne for his bill which calls
    for a National Research Council study that could help our industry use
    digital information to improve reliability and resiliency, and help us
    understand our vulnerabilities as they relate to cyber attack.
        In closing, changing weather patterns and an increased dependence
    on electricity require us to rethink the use of communications
    technology throughout our operations. Social media certainly has an
    increased role to play in the dissemination of emergency and disaster
    information.
        And when we think about how to make our grid more resilient, it is
    smart grid technology that allows our equipment to ``talk''--giving
    critical pieces the ability to automatically locate, isolate, diagnose,
    and begin to address problems--which helps us keep the lights on.
        Thank you again for the opportunity to testify this morning, and
    I'd be happy to take any questions.

        Mrs. Brooks. Thank you, Mr. Cardenas.
        Before I begin to ask questions and before the rest of the
    panel begins to ask questions, I would like to mention that in
    the spirit of this hearing, last week I, as well as some
    members of my team and staff from homeland security,
    participated in last Friday's weekly ``SMEM chat'' or what is
    Social Media Emergency Management chat on Twitter and solicited
    questions from those participants.
        So on a weekly basis folks participate in this manner, and
    I appreciate all of the wonderful insights. I am not sure if
    this has been done in Congress before to solicit these types of
    questions, but since this is the people's house, I am happy to
    be submitting some of these questions that came from this chat
    last Friday.
        I should also note that during that chat, I was asked to
    express their appreciation for the work that your companies and
    your association are doing to support emergency managers. They
    truly appreciate it, and they wanted to make sure that we, you
    know, thanked the private sector for all of the work they are
    doing to support their work.
        I would like to start out first of all with Mr. Stepka.
        Thank you for speaking with us today, and certainly I know
    and you have shared with us all of the positive things that
    Google is doing to assist survivors and responders during
    Hurricane Sandy in particular, but I am very curious what kind
    of feedback you have received particularly from the users of
    your products; whether it is crisis maps, people finder, public
    alerts, and what kind of changes have you made, because this is
    obviously an evolving process, and I am curious, you know, what
    you have heard from the users.
        Mr. Stepka. Sure. One thing we look at for feedback is just
    how much things are being used and definitely our products are
    being used a lot. We had over 15 million unique visits to the
    Sandy pages alone. We had millions of people over the years
    using our products in this context.
        I think one of the key areas we looked at--I mentioned
    about crowdsourcing and how that became important, I think, to
    add to the crisis maps. We realized that that information is
    necessary. Sometimes the authoritative sources are not going to
    have everything you need to know. That is one piece of
    feedback.
        Mrs. Brooks. Can you just explain to us and for the
    audience what crowdsourcing is?
        Mr. Stepka. Sure. The notion of crowdsourcing is that
    basically rather than just taking data from authoritative
    sources like from, you know, FEMA or other organizations that
    have information from their sources which are authoritative, we
    also have the idea of crowdsourcing is collecting data from our
    users directly and finding a way to put that onto our
    properties around our products; so like on a map.
        The example I gave was around fuel stations in New Jersey.
    That information came from users and then was then put on our
    website and on our maps so people could see where the stations
    were that had fuel.
        The advantage of crowdsourcing is it lets lots of people on
    the ground participate and provide that information and you
    have to have a way to do that in a way that makes--that there
    is good feedback and people can correct data if they find
    errors. This is a crowd effort to make sure the data is
    accurate.
        Mrs. Brooks. Thank you. Just a follow-up with respect to
    your maps. I know you receive information data feeds from
    multiple sources like you have said, FEMA, Red Cross, and
    others. Have you experienced, and you mentioned it in your
    testimony, have you experienced interoperability issues with
    importing that information onto your maps?
        How does that work? What are you doing to address those
    issues? Or what should groups like FEMA and Red Cross who we
    hope to be talking to in a next panel discussion, you know,
    what should we be sharing with them?
        Mr. Stepka. Yes. Over the years we spent a lot of time
    early on doing a lot of massaging of data frankly to get it on
    to the maps. It was a lot of work initially; it was very ad hoc
    because we just wanted to get the information to people as
    quickly as possible.
        It did slow things down quite a bit. We are working a lot
    to get data in machine-readable formats and that is the most
    important thing--ways that we can actually receive the data and
    integrate it and we think the open standards is the best way to
    do it. This way it is available not just that Google but to
    anybody who can use that information in a secure way on
    whatever products they have or services they have.
        So I think the most important thing we are doing and what I
    would suggest is that we have these standards that
    organizations get behind like, for example, for alerts, we have
    a standard called Common Alerts Protocol, which is being
    adopted by a lot of organizations. I know in particular USGS is
    doing it for earthquakes for example.
        So as much as possible getting information in these
    standard formats so that it is very easy for us to integrate.
    Once they are in those formats, it is not a problem for us to
    integrate all of that data. It is just when they are not
    machine-readable it requires a lot of handholding and manual
    work, frankly.
        Mrs. Brooks. How might you suggest that we educate everyone
    about the need for this open format?
        Mr. Stepka. I think it will come up probably in, as many
    things do, in terms of funding; resources for--make sure those
    resources are focusing on writing to standards. It does require
    that organizations, Government organizations take the data they
    have and take the effort to change it so that it can be made
    available through these secure protocols, and I think that does
    require some resources.
        Mrs. Brooks. Thank you.
        Very briefly, Mr. Payne, the work you are doing of course,
    at Palantir, to support the disaster relief efforts is truly
    impressive. I would like to ask you a similar question. As a
    result of lessons learned from Hurricane Sandy, what are some
    of those lessons? I know you shared some of those with us, but
    with respect to the users of your technology?
        Mr. Payne. I think that one of the first and most important
    lessons learned is the value of connectivity. What we saw in
    Hurricane Sandy is if you look at open 3-1-1 data, which is a
    great example of governments embracing open data and pushing
    out non-urgent requests for help from the community, to make
    that data publicly available.
        Before Hurricane Sandy, you saw a--something that reflected
    the heat map of the population density of New York City by and
    large. Then afterwards, there were discrete areas that were
    completely gone from requests for help because they had lost
    connectivity.
        So the first lesson is the absolute importance of
    empowering people to have ways to share that message to
    communicate directly with individuals. You know, at the end of
    the day a car battery will power an iPhone or an Android phone
    150 times, but how do you make that link up such that that
    device stays hot or active in days after a storm? So that is
    one lesson.
        That being said, technology can be used and built to work
    in areas where there is not that connectivity. The second
    lesson is that the more data that you can fuse, the better
    cohesive picture you can build.
        Here one of the great things that happened after Hurricane
    Sandy is NOAA released very good high-resolution, overhead
    imagery of the affected areas. They flew an aircraft along the
    coastlines and made that data publicly available and so in
    tools like Google Maps or Palantir's geographic capabilities,
    we were able to actually look at where there was sand in the
    streets, where there were broken-down cars, where there were
    destroyed buildings, et cetera, and then use that to allocate
    resources to help those people affected by that get back on our
    feet.
        Mrs. Brooks. Thank you very much.
        My time is now up. I now recognize the Ranking Member of
    the subcommittee, the gentleman from New Jersey, Mr. Payne, for
    any questions.
        Mr. Payne of New Jersey. Thank you, Madam Chairwoman.
        Mr. Cardenas, you know, most utility companies have a
    presence on social media, but PSE&G has been a trailblazer in
    that regard. What differentiates public services' social media
    efforts from others in the utility industry?
        Mr. Cardenas. I think that the key differentiator is that
    we had real people speaking with real people. Our employees
    live in our service territories. They were experiencing the
    same exact things are customers were. We were very transparent.
        Our people on Twitter had the latest information. They knew
    about our challenges. They knew about time lines to restore
    certain communities. They did the best they could up front when
    we had individual responses. Later on they turned to more
    geographically encompassing messages.
        We were empathetic. I think we were very well-connected to
    each of those who sent us a tweet and we did our very, very
    best to get timely, very real information out to the public.
        Mr. Payne of New Jersey. Have Government entities
    responsible for disaster relief reached out to PSE&G? To ask
    them their expertise in developing these best practices?
        Mr. Cardenas. We have as late as yesterday, we had a
    meeting with a number of other utilities, other entities to
    share amongst us our best practices and our successes both in
    government throughout the storm whether it be the municipal
    mayors, whether it be the Governor's office, the Congressman's
    offices, we work clearly with them all the time to get their
    messages and our messages out to ensure we reinforced each
    other and make sure people were well-informed.
        Mr. Payne of New Jersey. Thank you, sir.
        Mr. Stepka, you know, I represent the 10th District in New
    Jersey which was greatly impacted by Hurricane Sandy. I
    understand that you had a strong presence in the area. Would
    you elaborate on what you did with the State and for the
    residents of New Jersey?
        Mr. Stepka. Sure. I think the most notable thing we did is
    through the crisis map I think gave people a lot of warning
    about where the map--wherever the storm was moving and how it
    was going and evacuation routes things like that, shelter
    information.
        I think the issues about the gas stations as well, I think
    was also New Jersey as well. That was probably one of the
    responses we did and we worked through our tools to provide
    people information.
        Mr. Payne of New Jersey. Okay. What can we do in the region
    to prepare for the next crisis?
        Mr. Stepka. I think the lesson learned about getting data
    in advance in these available to--in these open formats I think
    is important. There is always more information we can get. I
    think it is interesting about the fuel information, the longer-
    term time to recover from the storm.
        It is important to figure out ways to get that data in
    advance, but I think at the same time with crowdsourcing, we
    always have to find the right balance between getting good
    information and making sure it is accurate.
        Mr. Payne of New Jersey. Okay. Thank you.
        Mr. Beckerman, how do you feel--how can the Federal, State,
    and local governments and first responders best leverage the
    social media in data integration the tools available on the
    internet and disaster preparedness and response activities
    moving forward?
        Mr. Beckerman. I think one of the most important things is
    having an open line of communication between the technology
    companies and the Government and that appears to be happening.
        Social media and the internet can help before a storm like
    we have seen in the hurricanes and tornadoes. When you have
    some advanced warning, you can send messages out on social
    media and let people know the shelter in place or evacuate
    during a disaster as we have seen with help--responding to
    people to get real-time help, and then after a disaster to make
    sure that relief and volunteers and money and blood and things
    like that are getting to communities that need it most.
        Mr. Payne of New Jersey. This should be an on-going
    conversation.
        Mr. Beckerman. On-going, absolutely.
        Mr. Payne of New Jersey. Not waiting for the next disaster
    to happen, correct?
        Mr. Beckerman. That is correct.
        Mr. Payne of New Jersey. Okay, okay.
        Let's see. Mr. Payne, you have identified development of
    clear data retention policies as a means of preventing
    sensitive information from falling into the wrong hands and bad
    actors. How do you envision these policies being developed and
    should they be directive or voluntary?
        Mr. Payne. In some cases, that they will be directive.
    Obviously, personal information about someone's health
    information or health status is a very good example that falls
    under HIPAA law.
        The important thing is that an organization does not know
    what is happening to the data that they are sharing. Them
    making the decision to share that data becomes a very difficult
    decision to make.
        If it is an all-or-nothing, far too often the answer has to
    be nothing, but if there is abilities to technologically drive
    subsets of data, remove personally identifiable information, et
    cetera, that can empower that organization or that individual
    to make the decision of yes.
        At the end of the day, those most vulnerable during
    disaster are those most vulnerable before the disaster and
    often it is systemic health concerns and that sort of thing.
        Knowing who those people are and where they are can be very
    useful for first responders to ensure that they have the
    correct medication, the correct resources that they need, but
    redacting that information or removing that information after
    the disaster is something that I think would make it much more
    likely for the decision to be yes to share that information.
        Mr. Payne of New Jersey. Thank you.
        Madam Chairwoman, I yield back.
        Mrs. Brooks. Thank you very much.
        The Chairwoman will now recognize other Members of the
    subcommittee for questions they may wish to ask the witnesses.
        In accordance with our committee rules and practice, I plan
    to recognize Members who were present at the start of the
    hearing by seniority on the subcommittee, and those coming in
    later will be recognized in the order of their arrival.
        At this time, the Chairwoman now recognizes the gentleman
    from New York, Mr. King, former chair of the Homeland Security
    Committee, for questions.
        Mr. King. Thank you, Madam Chairwoman. Let me thank you for
    holding this hearing which is especially vital and it certainly
    has a real significance coming so soon after Sandy.
        Let me join Mr. Payne in commending Mr. Cardenas for the
    outstanding job that PSE&G did in New Jersey. Unfortunately, we
    did not have the same experience in New York. I am not trying
    to drag you into a cross-border dispute here, but in my
    district, and the district next to mine, we have about $8
    billion in damage, and that we can cope with.
        What we could not cope with was almost a total lack of
    communication between the consumers and the public utility,
    Long Island Power Authority. It was again, almost impossible to
    get information, get answers. Again, I say almost a total
    breakdown in communication.
        From what Mr. Payne has said, and certainly your testimony
    today, it is clear that PSE&G was making substantial use of
    social media. I know you are working within New Jersey, but are
    you making any effort to reach beyond New Jersey to share your
    experiences with other utilities throughout the country?
        Mr. Cardenas. Absolutely. Absolutely. We have met with
    ConEdison, with LIPA, with members from Connecticut to share
    our best practices. We have shown them what we did, how we were
    able to in real time ramp up to train our employees to respond
    on Twitter.
        It has become a brand-new technology that grows every day,
    changes every day. So you have to stay ahead and we chose to
    embrace it and to be very transparent.
        I think that is the one thing we told the other utilities.
    Please, provide information you have and that is important and
    that it be done with people who can speak with people, not to
    people, because everybody is kind-of on the same boat here and
    we are all trying to help each other. So we have met with
    utilities in the surrounding States.
        Mr. King. Can you tell us if they have been listening to
    you?
        Mr. Cardenas. I think only----
        Mr. King. You know, I am not trying to drag you----
        Mr. Cardenas [continuing]. Only time will tell, and I am
    sure they will. I think the energy industry, the utilities tend
    to share information, we just hope that everybody takes it on
    in a very timely manner.
        Mr. King. Thank you, Mr. Cardenas.
        Once again, Mr. Payne is ahead of the rest of us, he gets
    the break in New York with the good service, I mean, in New
    Jersey, and we in New York are trying to, you know, catch up.
    But anyway.
        Don, thanks for bringing the witness today.
        Let me ask Mr. Stepka--really I guess expanding on your
    testimony with the Chairwoman, can you describe the
    partnerships that you have established with first responders
    and Government agencies as Google rolls out its crisis response
    efforts and also if you could again again emphasize what you
    did with Sandy and how that would apply to the future?
        Mr. Stepka. Sure. I think the Red Cross is one of the key
    partnerships we work with very closely--actually for things
    like shelter information and resources for recovery.
        With the city of New York, we were very engaged as well. We
    created actually a separate crisis map just for the city of New
    York. We had actually special data that was available for them
    for evacuation routes and things like the affected areas.
        Of course we work with NOAA as well for weather
    information. They are also working with a CAP standard for
    alerts. It is very helpful for like when storms are coming and
    we can alert that information to our users. With Sandy those
    partnerships, a lot of those were in place already, so we were
    able to really respond more effectively.
        Mr. King. Do you recall if you have had any relationships
    on Long Island, Nassau County, Suffolk County, or the State
    government?
        Mr. Stepka. You know, I don't recall off the top of my
    head. We can get back to you on that.
        Mr. King. Okay, if you would and if not, let me know, and I
    will, you know, contact the county executives. From listening
    to your testimony and the way it was described, I think it
    would be very vital.
        Mr. Stepka. Okay.
        Mr. King. All of us were really caught off guard with
    Sandy.
        I yield back, Madam Chairwoman, thank you very much.
        Mrs. Brooks. Thank you.
        The Chairwoman now recognizes the gentlelady from New York,
    Ms. Clarke.
        Ms. Clarke. Thank you, Madam Chairwoman, and to our Ranking
    Member, Mr. Payne, to our distinguished panelists.
        I wanted to sort-of, a follow-through on some of the train
    of thought here, because what we saw with the Sandy event was a
    unique confluence of conditions and one of the things that
    have--being a New Yorker--has concerned me is the way that the
    mobile phone scenario degrades very rapidly in those types of
    environments.
        You couple that with a water event so that perhaps Mr.
    Payne's idea of using a car battery becomes a nonstarter and
    then the going down of the grid, now you know we have no way of
    communicating.
        So I would be interested in sort of getting a sense of
    other ways that we can perhaps tap into the technology world
    beyond that affected environment to bring relief as rapidly as
    possible to those environments.
        Has there been any discussion about satellite technology
    and how that in some way can be of assistance, and then finally
    just a description of your partnerships with New York
    responders and agencies around such an event such as Sandy--now
    I spoke about a natural disaster, but in the event of a
    terrorist attack which we have experienced in New York City,
    the same scenario plays out once everyone starts getting on
    their mobile phones at the same time.
        It becomes you know--if you can get through to someone you
    are lucky and it seems to go out in concentric circles. The
    closer you are, the harder it is but after a while there is a
    cascading effect. So can you just sort of share with me your
    thoughts around that? Because that was a major concern, for
    many days, quite frankly, after the event in New York City.
        Mr. Stepka. The first part of your question about the
    usefulness of mobile phones during a crisis. It is a problem--
    of course if we don't have power. That is the first thing you
    need to have and there are, I think, very creative ideas of
    getting around that issue and they are on a different grid so
    they tend to have their own power sources separately.
        You mentioned the ideas of satellites or other
    technologies. I think it is something we have done a lot of
    internal discussions around, like what technologies would be
    useful as a back-up system in this situation? A lot of them
    have advantages and disadvantages. I think they are worth
    looking into more deeply and making investments overall, but we
    don't have anything now in place for that.
        I do think, I mean, all of these tools are limited by the
    fact that if you don't have connectivity, you can't get them. I
    do think it is something that we are focusing more immediately
    on, which is probably more cost-effective and that is getting
    people more prepared before-hand.
        So the cool thing about a storm like Sandy--you can see it
    coming, unlike a tornado which unfortunately gives very little
    warning, but with a situation like, you know it is coming, we
    can actually give people a lot more certainty and give them
    instructions and ideas about how to prepare for it so they
    don't have to deal with it as badly; either evacuating early or
    at least getting supplies ready for the emergency.
        So I think that something we can do a much better job at
    and I think it is something we are looking at closely.
        The second question, I think you were asking around--more
    around I guess terrorists events and that sort of thing. For
    the most part, we have been focusing on a natural disasters. In
    a terrorist attack we did actually help with the Boston
    bombing. We turned on our Person Finder so people could find
    out where their loved ones were during the crisis--after the
    crisis because there was a lot of chaos right then.
        I think in general it is a very different set of issues and
    I think it is important to look at them very carefully. Like
    you see there is a bad actor in play, you need to understand
    what is the motivations and how they are engaging on this event
    and how do we make sure that we be very careful how we respond?
        Mr. Payne. Today, there exists a system for NGO's focus on
    response to use voice. It is called to the Wireless Priority
    Service. That is over a decade old and it doesn't have any
    allocations for data. To change that to allow folk to use data
    would reduce the congestion on networks and allow people to be
    more effective in communicating.
        Further known are the First Net initiative looking long-
    term at something that I think can really help. It is a Nation-
    wide 500 megahertz' worth of spectrum allocation for specific
    data transmission during emergency response.
        My understanding right now is that that is only allocated
    for official Government agencies. If there could be small
    portions of that system, of that First Net system, that could
    be allocated for individuals at FEMA shelters or Red Cross
    shelters or NGOs to do quick communications to check in with
    their loved ones, I think that would go a long way towards
    empowering people to communicate in wide-scale disasters.
        Ms. Clarke. Thank you very much, Madam Chairwoman.
        I thank you for your responses.
        Mrs. Brooks. Thank you.
        The Chairwoman now recognizes the gentleman from
    Pennsylvania, Mr. Perry, for 5 minutes.
        Mr. Perry. Thank you, Madam Chairwoman.
        Gentlemen, I appreciate your testimony.
        I am interested in prevention of things that we have seen
    happen and wondering what you see as the Federal Government's
    role, and in particularly in cases, if we could use the Boston,
    the bombing at the marathon and the--and the Facebook postings
    in advance of that.
        How should--how do you see that that should be monitored?
    Should it be monitored in the first place? How should it be
    monitored? What would the triggers be? Should that information
    go to law enforcement? Who should send it?
        I think there is a lot of questions there because I think
    there is some expectation that this stuff is open source that
    it no longer bears the same privacy concerns that maybe your
    email would once you posted on Facebook.
        Is that true, and if that is available, should or should we
    not be using that to safeguard our communities? I would just
    like to have a continuing dialogue.
        I guess, Mr. Stepka, anybody would like to answer?
        Mr. Stepka. Sure. I think it is a very important question
    to get that right and we do take this very seriously. I think
    in general, all this public information that is available on
    social media, I think can be a source, I think for law
    enforcement to look for potential bad actors and I think they
    can do that.
        In general instances, that being posted publicly, that can
    be reviewed by law enforcement without any need to get
    subpoenaed or even working with either Google or other
    technology companies. They can do that directly.
        I think, you know, that is pretty much--I think the most
    important thing to think about with that. This is a--in a free
    society it is a hard balance to figure out how to deal with
    these kinds of information out there. There is many--there is
    usually a very small number of people who are bad actors and
    they get lost in the noise, I think, unless you are looking for
    them specifically.
        Mr. Beckerman. From our perspective, privacy is very
    important. Our companies take the privacy of the users very
    seriously either every day and also during disasters, and there
    are a lot of tools on-line, but we feel that law enforcement
    should use the same warrants and due process and that they do
    in the analog world that they should apply to the digital
    world.
        Mr. Perry. So in that case, where there have been or were
    Facebook postings, who would have--whose responsibility is it
    to monitor? How would they find in this huge universe of
    postings, how would they find that in a timely--whoever they
    are--first of all, who do you see?
        Who are the ``they?'' Is it law enforcement? Is it the
    Department of Justice? Department of Defense? Is it the CIA?
    Who is it that would do it? Is it you folks? How would they go
    about finding that needle in the haystack on a continual basis,
    if you have any thoughts on that?
        Mr. Stepka. One thing we can do is, and this is related to
    YouTube when people would post either things which violate our
    terms of service around hate speech or terrorist activity, that
    sort of thing, if someone flagged that information we do take
    it down.
        So we do rely on our users to help police it in that sense.
    I think, like I mentioned before, if there is public postings,
    I would leave it to law enforcement to look at the public
    postings. If they are not public, they do have to go through
    their normal process to get access to the information, the same
    as any other kind of subpoena process.
        Mr. Perry. So when you take it down--if it falls within the
    criteria that you find objectionable per your company's
    policies, do you then report? Do you feel an obligation to
    report in the instances of--in the instance of these--these
    Facebook postings or these videos in particular, is--should
    there be an obligation?
        Was there any obligation other than just taking it down
    because of course that doesn't help law enforcement, that
    doesn't alert citizens or the authorities to what might be
    impending? What is your protocol--what should the protocol be
    there?
        Mr. Stepka. Yes, specifically on YouTube I know that if a
    user flags something as being terrorist, a terrorist activity
    or basically a bomb-making-type thing, we do take it down.
        You know, I don't know the answer to your question about
    whether we do then inform law enforcement of that. I can find
    out that and get back to you.
        Mr. Perry. All right, thank you.
        Madam Chairwoman, I yield back.
        Mrs. Brooks. Thank you.
        At this time I recognize gentleman from Mississippi, Mr.
    Palazzo, for 5 minutes.
        Mr. Palazzo. Thank you, Madam Chairwoman.
        I thank our witnesses here today for their testimony and
    answering our questions.
        I represent the Mississippi's 4th Congressional District
    which spans the entire Mississippi Gulf Coast. We got hit
    pretty hard during Hurricane Katrina and that was in 2005,
    almost 8 years ago.
        It feels like a long time, a very long time, but the
    remnants of the storm are still heavily present with us every
    day and we are still recovering. But I would like to point out
    Facebook was still in its infancy, relatively speaking.
        It was almost nonexistent to many people. Twitter was
    nonexistent. The first iPhone wouldn't come out for almost
    another year. Last year, Hurricane Sandy hit the Northeast and
    there were millions of people on social media sharing
    information, watching live Twitter feeds, and checking up on
    their loved ones. So just in a few short years we have seen
    social media explode, and I think most of my questions have
    already been answered.
        We have talked about lessons learned, but if any of you
    have the experience, can you kind of compare the technologies
    that we had during Hurricane Katrina, the lessons that we
    learned that brought us up to the successful information
    sharing that we had during Hurricane Sandy?
        Mr. Stepka, we will just go left to right.
        Mr. Stepka. Sure. I think the biggest change would be with,
    I think, the mobile phone technology, it is a major change the
    people have access to communications especially whereever they
    are and also if their main lines go down. I think the second,
    of course, is social media.
        No question that has been a big difference. I think people
    are more connected imminently in that sense and have many
    outlets and many ways of contacting both authoritative
    organizations as well as each other so they can tell their
    family members that they are okay. That sort of thing.
        Mr. Payne. I believe one of the biggest fundamental
    differences that social media has provided is the efficiency of
    the supply and demand of those that want to help and those that
    need help.
        What we saw in Hurricane Sandy is we had one group of
    veterans, a couple hundred people in total, harnessing over
    14,000 volunteers from the community and those volunteers by
    fusing a bunch of technology requests for help, all sorts of
    data were efficiently tasked to muck basements, to remove the
    sand from parking lots and playgrounds, etc.
        The net effect being that very quickly after the disaster
    folks' houses had the material removed that prevented mold from
    growing in those houses and those houses being destroyed.
        So looking ahead, I believe that we will see an ever-
    increased ability to harness more goodwill and more help from
    individuals in the surrounding areas to help people get back on
    their feet. I think that is the best sort of siren of social
    media.
        Mr. Beckerman. Yes, thank you. I think you explained the
    differences perfectly by the fact that Facebook had been only a
    year in existence, Twitter didn't exist, there were no iPhones.
        So during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, only half of the
    internet users used on-line sources to find news, and today
    that is obviously much higher. Only 25 percent used on-line
    sources to check in on loved ones and let people know they were
    all right and things like that. Today obviously as we heard
    from the rest of the panel and from the Members of that number
    is much higher.
        After Hurricane Katrina 13 million people went on-line in
    the United States to donate and again, today that is higher. So
    we have seen as the technology has grown the benefits of the
    internet and social media really help people, and I think it
    could have been obviously a benefit during Hurricane Katrina as
    well.
        Mr. Palazzo. All right, well I definitely agree with
    everything that you said. I can tell you just the other day we
    had a severe weather event and my phone went off and I did not
    apply for the app--I guess it was just the phone service just
    notifying us that we are about to hit some severe weather on
    the Mississippi Gulf Coast and I was very grateful for that.
        I have seen--as we have seen in the tornadoes that have
    recently happened in my district and all across the country, it
    does allow people from all across United States to help in some
    form or fashion even if it is donations or having people come
    out and help fill sandbags, remove mold.
        I think that is a fantastic--and my final question would
    be--and this is for everyone again, what suggestions or tips do
    you have for Americans that are actually users of the
    technology, the social media, during a disaster? What tips
    would you provide, if anybody?
        Mr. Stepka. I think the first tip I would give; I think it
    is good to have a plan in advance of an emergency. Every family
    should be thinking about this in advance. They should know how
    to contact each other, they should have--whatever means they
    want to do it--whether electronic or some back-up ways, they
    should do that.
        So I think preparation is the best thing for everyone.
    During an emergency itself I think power is essential. If we
    think about, you know, water, other kinds of resources you want
    to have ready, but having power connectivity I think are really
    important, so you can have access to communications.
        Mr. Cardenas. For us, from a utility perspective, don't
    take for granted that we know that you don't have power. So it
    is good to know that information because you know maybe two
    blocks from you, right, people may not have power, you may get
    power, they don't have power, so please be accurate.
        You don't have power, let us know. Because it may be that
    you have a problem that is only localized to your block or to
    your service. So provide information. The more the better.
        Mr. Palazzo. All right.
        Well thank you, Madam Chairwoman. It is a very informative
    hearing. Thank you.
        Mrs. Brooks. Thank you.
        I have a couple of questions kind of following up on that a
    little bit. How can our emergency management officials monitor
    and validate the information that they received or the power
    companies, how can you or do you monitor and validate?
        We learned this and that SMEM chat on Twitter last week.
    Those officials shared with us, how can the private sector help
    the emergency managers and first responders efficiently
    collect, validate, share this information posted by the public
    during the disaster? Any suggestions as to how your experiences
    and work can inform and, I guess, I will start with Mr.
    Cardenas.
        Mr. Cardenas. During the storm and right now real-time we
    have people on Twitter, on Facebook, and information that is
    posted is shared not only with us but back with municipal
    officials, State officials, and I think that is critical to
    have that partnership between the public and the private sector
    and that it is a two-way street.
        They come to us with information, we go to them. During
    events any times there is false information posted and working
    with that municipal official you can correct the information.
    You can provide--it is not--you are not going to be out 3
    weeks.
        It may be 3 days. That kind of sets people to be on the
    right page as to what they have to plan for. Many of these
    events are real-time, so that real-time information is
    critical.
        Mrs. Brooks. Mr. Stepka.
        Thank you.
        Mr. Stepka. Yes, I was going to say I agree. I think that
    is important to look at the information as being--it could be
    imperfect in the crisis and is going to evolve. You will
    iterate on the information.
        I think collaborating among agencies and organizations is
    critical as well as the public because the public can help
    validate information.
        I think the crowdsourcing idea makes a lot of sense in this
    context, but we have to think about where it is appropriate and
    how to act on it when we need to validate the information
    before you act on it--or corroborate that information
    elsewhere.
        Mr. Payne. There truly is a risk of data obesity as we grow
    with significant amounts of information streams coming on in
    the future. I think that robust data fusion capabilities with
    data analysis capabilities can empower that analyst to tease
    through the information that is relevant to them, vet it
    against other sources, and use of social media as part of a
    holistic approach to information to make resource allocation
    decisions.
        Mrs. Brooks. With respect to the work that you have all
    been doing, just last week FEMA released 2013 National
    Preparedness Report, which did identify the need to mature the
    role of public-private partnerships as a new National area for
    improvement, and this was also highlighted during our Twitter
    chat last week.
        Based on the incredible work that your companies are doing,
    what has your actual interaction been with Federal, State, and
    local governments, and has FEMA reached out to you all
    specifically, and have you worked with FEMA?
        I will, you know, ask Mr. Stepka and Payne specifically
    initially because I am sure you have worked with them, Mr.
    Cardenas. Or----
        Mr. Cardenas. Yes.
        Mrs. Brooks. Yes.
        Mr. Stepka. Yes, we have worked with FEMA and we have
    talked with them about how we can better work together to help
    support their efforts. So I think I would like to do that more
    as well.
        I think at every level of government we have been working
    on it with different situations. I mentioned we worked with the
    city of New York as well in the crisis.
        I think we look for scalable ways to reach out to
    Government organizations. It is hard to reach out to all of
    them, so I think it is important again to go back to standards.
    If we have standards laid out, it doesn't require that we have
    relationships with every single organization, every level of
    government. If we all can agree on certain kinds of interaction
    with secure data, that will take care of a lot of those
    interactions.
        Mr. Payne. I think this relationship highlights the
    importance of open data. FEMA does a great job with certain
    data sources that they can publicly release making them
    available so that organizations like Google, ourselves, and
    other response organizations can leverage that information. We
    would certainly welcome the opportunity to engage them to see
    on both sides how we can improve that relationship.
        During Hurricane Sandy, we did work with the Office of
    Executive Management at New York City. I think they did a
    fantastic job interfacing with the dozens of organizations to
    help as much as possible and I think that was a success story
    of a governmental-social sector interaction.
        It is something that we take a very strong commitment to
    openness at Palantir Technologies and with all of the work we
    have done, be it a flood, tornado, or hurricane have ensured
    that all the data that was generated by mobile devices
    integrated et cetera was made available to relevant authorities
    to ensure that they had access to all of that information that
    they--other than the personally identifiable information that
    was removed.
        Mrs. Brooks. Thank you. I would ask the Ranking Member, the
    gentleman from New Jersey, for any further questions.
        Mr. Payne of New Jersey. Yes, ma'am. Thank you, Madam
    Chairwoman.
        Mr. Cardenas, I had a great deal of interest in smart grid
    technology and have had conversations with your company
    officials as well in reference to it, and in your testimony you
    explained the smart grid technology enables utility companies
    to pinpoint problems and restore service more quickly. How does
    the smart grid technology differ from 20th Century technology?
        Mr. Cardenas. Well, equipment in a smart network talks to
    the components of that system. It can reconfigure automatically
    the way a neighborhood is fed. It relies not on human beings
    doing individual steps; information between these components
    can automatically restore services in many cases.
        In addition to that, it provides efficiencies with the
    setting up of a circuit you are going to work on remotely so
    that you don't have to send people to each piece of equipment
    and put it in a way that people can work on it.
        For instance, we had 4,000 people who came to help us out,
    and we had to, every morning, send them out to do work. It took
    us a long time to allow them to be able to do the work because
    we had to make it safe.
        With a smart grid, with a supervisory control and
    information system, we could do that remotely and gain
    efficiencies in the actual time and leveraging that resource to
    get the restoration done.
        So a smart grid is quantum leaps ahead of what we had 10
    years ago, 20 years ago. It is now the way we go and it is
    where we are hoping to make very large investments in.
        Mr. Payne of New Jersey. So that is basically how the smart
    grid technology would improve responses during disasters. Is
    that correct?
        Mr. Cardenas. It will do it both ways. It will do it with
    the efficiency of the people working to restore service as well
    as the automated restoration associated with reconfiguring the
    way the grid is fed.
        Mr. Payne of New Jersey. Thank you.
        Mr. Stepka, in your testimony, you note that, you know, the
    affordable high-speed internet access, you know, is necessary
    to be tech ready for disasters. Nearly 100 million Americans do
    not have access to broadband and one-third do not have access
    to internet, and, you know, I discussed that a bit yesterday
    when we were in my office.
        So from your perspective, how does the digital divide
    undermine disaster response efforts, and how would you address
    the problem?
        Mr. Stepka. I think it is a very important issue. I think
    it is in addition to crisis response we also work on this issue
    in general trying to provide a better internet access to people
    around the world actually.
        As you know, we have launched an effort to bring high-speed
    internet access starting in Kansas City, Austin, and Provo, and
    I think the idea being is in general this is very important.
        Obviously, we need to have a way to provide internet access
    to everybody as well as high-speed access in their home. I
    think so that everybody has access to these great tools and
    also seeing the advantages of being connected not just in a
    crisis.
        I think it is a challenge, what we are doing, in general
    and we are focusing a lot of resources on. There are a couple
    of challenges which are different. One challenge is in urban
    environment versus rural environments. Rural environments are
    very hard to reach using fiber, for example, and usually a
    wireless technology is probably more efficient.
        So we have experimented working with the FCC on a different
    technology which provides potentially the ability to provide
    access to people using the TV white spaces, which is a low
    bandwidth--sorry low-frequency bandwidth that can be used to
    reach rural parts of the world.
        Mr. Payne of New Jersey. Thank you.
        Madam Chairwoman, I yield back the balance, and I would
    like to thank all of the witnesses for their testimony.
        Mrs. Brooks. Okay. Thank you.
        I have a question.
        Mr. Beckerman, I will start with you and others might want
    to chime in, but what are--in following up--what are some
    things that the Federal Government should do in forming
    partnerships with the private sector to take advantage of the
    new technologies? I might ask whether or not you are aware you
    represent a number of associations or I am sorry a number of
    companies and incredibly innovative companies.
        Are there any new technologies we can be anticipating that
    can be used that you can talk with us with respect to social
    media for emergencies and disasters, but how can we better
    connect up the Federal Government with these new technologies?
        Mr. Beckerman. Well, I would say this hearing today is a
    great start opening the dialogue. So thank you for having the
    hearing.
        You know, the most important thing is for private sector,
    our companies, and the Federal Government to have an open
    dialogue and talk. The technology is evolving, and as we go
    through each one of these unfortunate situations, lessons are
    learned and the Federal Government gets better and our
    companies get better and the public gets better at
    understanding how to use the technology.
        Crowdsourcing is a very powerful tool, both during a
    disaster to help bring volunteers, and after disaster to help
    bring money and volunteers and rebuild.
        So, you know, we just ask that the Federal Government--and
    they have been doing a great job so far--is keep an open
    dialogue with our companies and share data where they can, and
    we will educate the public on how they can use this technology.
        Mrs. Brooks. Do you believe that the Federal Government is
    improving its use of social media for emergency alerts and
    preparedness or what is your opinion on that?
        Mr. Beckerman. Absolutely. It is improving every time, and
    as we have seen from some of the protocols from FEMA, they are
    already using social media to send out alerts telling people to
    get their shelter in place or evacuate and that is a great
    step.
        Mrs. Brooks. Any others on the panel would like to comment
    on about how we, you know, work even better together and any
    emerging technologies?
        Mr. Stepka. I would echo everything he said as well.
        I think it is very helpful to work collaboratively on these
    ideas. The technology is still evolving. I think it is still
    early days in some ways.
        I think working together on open formats for data to be
    shared in a secure way that is appropriate using crowdsourcing
    in an appropriate way as well is a very important thing in this
    context.
        But I think there has been a lot of good progress to date.
    I am actually very encouraged by as I mentioned what the White
    House said recently on data standards, and I think those
    general movements are all in the right direction.
        Mrs. Brooks. Okay.
        Mr. Payne.
        Mr. Payne. To echo the other panelists, I concur that we
    are moving in the right direction.
        I am heartened by many of the openness data initiatives and
    open data standards. The White House CTO has done a fantastic
    job pushing new standards that make computer comprehensible
    formats the norm.
        One good example I will offer of this is nonprofit data.
    Today nonprofit data is publicly available, but as a scanned
    piece of paper the computer cannot read very well and it takes
    hundreds of thousands of man-hours to rewrite the database that
    exists with information that is supposed to be public data.
        So in the new budget proposal is the ability for that to be
    electronic information and thus much, much easier for tech-
    knowledgeable organizations to leverage the data.
        There are one-and-a-half--1.4 million nonprofit
    organizations in America today and having the ability to engage
    them in a disaster or in an emergency would have a lot of
    benefit to those on the ground and that open data could go a
    long way towards that engagement.
        Mrs. Brooks. Thank you.
        Mr. Cardenas, any thoughts you might have?
        Mr. Cardenas. I will give you one example of the
    collaboration and how we are going to be able to help.
        I don't--in the not-very-distant future, I can see a first
    responder from a municipality going out with a phone taking a
    picture, sending that to us, telling us what equipment is at
    that location the picture was taken from from and then take
    action on that.
        The collaboration between the utility and the way it
    formats this information and its ability to speak and connect
    with that device will be critical as we move forward into the
    future where whether it be crowdsourcing or just the use of
    these devices to locate and identify equipment that has been
    damaged is going to continue to be critical. That I am hoping I
    will be able to see in the next 9 to 12 months.
        Mrs. Brooks. Thank you.
        Thank you, very much.
        Mr. Payne.
        Mr. Payne of New Jersey. Madam Chairwoman, I ask unanimous
    consent to submit testimony from Humanity Road and the Business
    Emergency Operation Center Alliance of New Jersey to the
    record.
        Mrs. Brooks. Pardon? Oh, yes. Oh, thank you.
        Thank you. Without objection, that will be admitted.
        [The information follows:]
     Statement Submitted For the Record by Ranking Member Donald M. Payne,
                                      Jr.
     Prepared Statement of Christine Thompson, President and Co-Founder of
                                 Humanity Road
        Chairman Brooks, Ranking Member Payne, and distinguished Members of
    the subcommittee. My name is Christine Thompson, president and co-
    founder of Humanity Road, a 501c3 Public Charity that specializes in
    digital disaster relief. In support of its mission, Humanity Road
    volunteers harness internet and mobile communications technology to
    collect, verify, and route information on-line during sudden onset
    disaster. Using the internet, we research and share public safety
    information and direct the public to Governmental and aid agencies that
    provide disaster assistance. Since 2010 Humanity Road supported over
    500 emerging events in 53 countries and helped develop and execute 11
    joint social media exercises for private- and public-sector partners.
    We responded in social media for tornado outbreaks, hurricanes,
    earthquakes, tsunamis, flash floods, blizzards, and man-made events and
    activated to provide surge support monitoring of social media by local,
    county, and State-level officials. In the past 3 years we watched the
    amazing growth of mobile and internet-based communications used by the
    impacted public in the United States. During our operations, including
    Hurricane Sandy, we documented the effective use of social media and
    technology tools in fast-moving and slow-moving events. Social Media
    has been used to facilitate rescues, reunite loved ones, manage
    spontaneous donations, and collect situational information. We are here
    to provide examples of how technology has been used, the benefits and
    challenges, and ask for your support on four specific areas:
        1. Engage Humanitarian Technology Partners
        2. Manage Response--Structure for the Use of Technology Partners
        3. Manage Preparedness--Plan for Technology in Training and
            Exercises
        4. Accelerating Lessons Learned and Innovation.
        The Belle Harbor community response in Rockaway, New York after
    Superstorm Sandy provides an excellent example of a whole community
    approach to disaster response and how social media, digital disaster
    response, and new technology are transforming preparedness, response, &
    recovery. This community is positioned on a peninsula accessible only
    by bridge. The area was inundated by storm surge, sand, and winds
    causing a power and communications blackout with catastrophic damage.
    In the face of these challenges local residents, through the use of
    social media and technology partners, catalyzed a recovery effort that
    serviced over 10,000 people a day. Two hundred volunteers managed the
    operation daily. St. Francis de Sales School had no functioning phones,
    power, or heat. The nearest Red Cross Shelter was more than 30 miles
    away and transportation and gas were nonexistent or challenged. By
    request, a collaborative technology team delivered an innovative
    communications solution on-site within 24 hours. And within a few days,
    this local community-led effort had their own citizen-run command
    center with satellite communications and Wifi hotspot. The command
    center solution was operating on generator and solar-powered lights. It
    became the central coordination point for volunteer coordination, field
    survey teams, feeding, donation management, medical assessments, and
    community response teams that helped with debris removal to name a few.
    The community volunteer team at St. Francis included Monsignor Brown,
    local youth, residents, and spontaneous volunteers from throughout the
    city. The community used social media to list ``essentials''
    controlling donation and volunteer management. A mobile medic team also
    went door-to-door taking water and supplies, performed health
    screenings on the vulnerable populations, particularly the elderly who
    were stranded without elevator service in high-rise buildings.
    Challenges remained; the community needed to warn its residents about a
    second dangerous storm that was approaching. Paper bulletins were
    posted on church doors, paper handouts made in multiple languages and
    locals resorted to using bullhorns.
        The collaborative communications solution team at St. Francis de
    Sales provided over a quarter-million dollars in communications assets
    and services. The lead partner cost for spearheading this physical
    deployment was only $5,000. The solution team included nonprofits such
    as Humanity Road, Disaster Tech Lab, Information Technology Disaster
    Relief Center (ITDRC), and other private-sector partners including
    Aruba Networks, Viasat, Cisco, and Goal Zero. Each played a role in
    empowering the local community response efforts through technology.
    This innovative approach was not a Joint Resource Center (JRC) or
    Disaster Resource Center (DRC) launched and run by FEMA. It was a Whole
    Community Resource Center which put the recovery at the local level,
    not State or Federal. The FEMA Innovation Team is studying these local
    response activities and working on recommended improvements in the
    design of the disaster recovery center models. The approach used in
    Belle Harbor worked and not only because of the innovative use of
    social media, communications technology, and power solutions; but
    because the solution provided was for the community by the community.
    Technology is only useful when people know how to use it, it must
    fulfill the local need and not intrude on or complicate the primary
    mission of the local disaster response and recovery efforts.
        In summary, the effective use and implementation of technology and
    social media can rapidly reach populations isolated from the response
    chain due to communications and power impacts. Digital volunteerism and
    digital response organizations in the social media age can help empower
    a community to take part in their own recovery efforts. This can also
    provide relief that mitigates traditional response chain issues in
    large-scale events reducing the recovery period and associated costs.
    However, whenever innovation meets implementation, there are
    challenges. There is a gap in assessing communications outages as
    currently, there is no publicly-available map for communications
    availability or outages. There are also challenges in response
    reporting, preparedness planning, and measuring effective social media
    and technology mobilization. Having provided examples of Humanity
    Road's Rockaway deployment and considering the benefits and challenges
    faced there, we ask for your support in four specific areas:
        1. Engage Humanitarian Technology Partners.--Humanitarian
            technology disaster response organizations work both on-line
            and also deploy into the impacted area. These teams provide a
            great opportunity for improving the speed and accuracy of
            initial damage assessments by improving communications. We
            recommend disaster response officials and organizations take
            advantage of using volunteer-based disaster response
            organizations that are skilled in the use of internet and
            mobile communications technologies including social media. This
            can provide a cost-effective solution to a high-volume problem
            and closes gaps between non-technical Government organizations
            and high-tech disaster response techniques. These humanitarian
            partners work with equipment and service providers to deliver
            solutions that meet local needs and participate in disaster
            preparedness training and exercises to build resilience and
            readiness.
        2. Manage Response--Structure for the Use of Technology Partners.--
            We recommend that officials review and designate a suggested
            reporting structure within the Incident Command Structure for
            technology deployment activities such as surge support media
            monitoring and crowdsourcing during disaster.
        3. Manage Preparedness--Plan for Technology in Training and
            Exercises.--Technology-driven communications solutions such as
            social media, crowdsourcing, crisis mapping, and surge support
            for social media should be included in preparedness planning
            and exercises. Training is also needed to build basic skills in
            local, county, and State organizations. The existing grant
            process is tied to county and State government and is
            geography-centric. Digital disaster response is not always tied
            to a specific geography. We recommend that grants be made
            available to non-governmental technology organizations for
            preparedness and response initiatives to build competence and
            resilience with consideration that these initiatives may be
            regional or National in scope.
        4. Accelerating Lessons Learned and Innovation.--We recommend that
            Congress adopt innovation and acceleration by supporting the
            DHS Virtual Social Media Working Group and the FEMA Innovation
            Team & FEMA Think Tank programs. These are working models that
            can facilitate and accelerate process improvement in the area
            of social media and technology. These partners help to identify
            lessons learned and can test them in a fail-safe environment
            for incubation, planning, and implementation. The FEMA
            Innovation Team, which is part of the FEMA think tank is
            working on a communications heat map that would provide the
            public with availability of wireless communications and WIFI
            hotspots during disaster. And the DHS Virtual Social Media
            Working Group just published its newest document: Lessons
            Learned: Hurricane Sandy.
        Thank you for the opportunity to submit testimony. I will be glad
    to answer any questions and can also elaborate on additional examples
    of the effective use of technology and social media during disaster.
                                     ______

     Statement Submitted For the Record by Ranking Member Donald M. Payne,
                                      Jr.
                      Prepared Statement of BEOC Alliance
                             beoc alliance overview
        The BEOC Alliance, a non-profit 501c3 organization, strives to
    expand and strengthen the capacities of Government agencies (local,
    county, State), business partners and non-Governmental organizations in
    preventing, preparing for, responding to, and recovering from disasters
    of magnitude. The Alliance's underlying goal is to improve private-
    sector self-reliance and self-sufficiency during such events through
    rapid information sharing, situational awareness, and common operating
    pictures. The Business Emergency Operations Center (BEOC) is a means to
    achieve these desired end-states.
        The BEOC construct epitomizes an adaptable and scalable
    communications hub as well as a private-sector node within the Homeland
    Security Enterprise. The synergies produced through steady-state and
    elevated operational activities emanates from an interactive
    partnership triad composed of academia, Government, and the private
    sector. Real-time situational awareness is more than a goal; it's a
    functioning reality.
        The BEOC functions as a business fusion center supported by a
    formal research component based on a technology capabilities-centric
    matrix. The BEOC Alliance continuously exchanges information through
    weekly conference calls, alerts, portal postings, listserve
    notifications, exercises, and symposia. When situations dictate,
    members can quickly transition to a state of readiness for a rapid
    response and realistic recovery with a physical or virtual BEOC
    providing omni-directional communications vis-a-vis established
    distributed networks.
        Distributed communication networks support BEOC Alliance efforts
    through a ``mash-up'' of information technologies and systems. The
    research component of the BEOC program explores and evaluates an array
    of communication technologies at the Crisis Comnmnication Center housed
    at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Resultant findings become
    thrust areas for improving interoperability and collaboration across
    the entire breadth of the private sector.
                          beoc alliance talking paper
        Primary Goal.--Business-to-Business assistance, collaboration, and
    cooperation through information sharing.
       Whole is greater than the sum of its parts philosophy
         Knowledge-sharing community
             Bottom-up organic network formed through collaborative
                efforts of like-minded organizations and executives
       Inclusive affiliations and memberships
         FEMA National BEOC Initiative
         CI/KR Sectors through DHS IP RCCC
         U.S. Northern Command
         Private-Sector Organizations--National and Local
         Non-Government Organizations
         Academic Institutions
        What is the BEOC Alliance?
       Member supported 501c3 non-profit organization
       Certified Federal Government contractor
       FEMA National BEOC Charter member
    Business Emergency Operations Center (BEOC) Construct
       A Communications Model
         Omni-directional information sharing
         Creates common operating picture for enhanced situational
                awareness
       A Practitioner's Tool
         Aids in decision-making
         Supports Private-sector readiness and operations
       A Research Project
         Technology Capabilities Matrix provides research roadmap
             Ten identified capabilities
         Research underpins first two construct components
    Goals
       Strengthen Private-Sector/Public-Sector/Department of
            Defense Communication
         All phases of Homeland Security and Homeland Defense
                Emergency Management through adaptable BEOC implementations
       Resource to the Private-Sector/Public-Sector/DoD in
            implementing other BEOCs
         Provide consultation and guidance to States and regions
                developing BEOCs
       Enable proactive business managers to cut through the chaos
            during disasters
         Ensure Access to timely, reliable, and actionable
                information
       Information sharing
         Identify critical issues pre-event to avoid reactionary
                behavior during disasters
       Continued outreach and linkage of organic networks
         Create common operating pictures
       Resilience and restoration of vital functions and services
         Maintain organizational resilience through information
                exchanges, establishing priorities, and implementing plans
                of action during the fluidity of crisis
       Increase number of technology tools available to the private
            sector for improving reach, connectivity, and redundancy
       Advocate for the Private Sector
         Help link public-sector agencies/organizations with
                private-sector BEOCs
    Scope of Activities
       Ranges from local to National levels
       Integrated research component
         Continued research into networks, hardware, and
                communication protocols
         NJIT C4IF Lab a venue for experimentation
       Formulation of Private Sector doctrine
         Periodic cross-sector think-tank sessions
       Host symposiums on Private-Sector/Public-Sector
            communication and coordination issues
    Operating Environment
       Virtual during steady state
         BEOC List serve
         CyberCop Portal
         BEOC Alliance Webpage
         Recurring conference calls
       Physical activation when circumstances warrant extended or
            expanded operations
         Events page
         Multidisciplinary teams
         Subject matter reach-back

        Mrs. Brooks. At this time, I would like to ask Mr. Payne if
    he has anything for closing, he would like to say before I
    close out. Okay.
        Thank you very much. I would very much like to thank this
    panel for their very valuable testimony. I think we have
    learned a lot. We have started a very important discussion.
        What I think is happening with emergency managers, whether
    it is municipal or State or Federal officials, your companies
    are paving the way. You have created new technologies.
        I am looking at the back of this actual hearing room is a
    picture from 9/11 and what the technologies that you all
    discussed whether it was People Finder, you know, whether it is
    the mapping capabilities that would have been so critical
    during that horrific time in our country's history.
        So we truly have come a very long way, and as I talk about
    the emergency technologies and knowing what is coming, I think
    we can't even imagine as Mr. Cardenas just shared with us, you
    know, the possibilities of what your companies and the
    innovators and engineers and inventors in your companies are
    creating.
        We just ask that you continue to share those with
    Government, with the public sector, with the volunteers. It is
    amazing to me that 14,000 volunteers, you know, come together
    quickly but that we already had a team of veterans in place to
    help mobilize and that were trained and so it is a wonderful
    marriage of, you know, the Government and the military and our
    veterans and that point, you know, marrying up with volunteers
    to really aid in recovery and save a lot of lives and save
    homes and save property, but most importantly, save lives and
    that is what I think your testimony here today has also shown.
        I think we absolutely have some challenges that, you know,
    everyone needs to be mindful of and some of those challenges,
    you know, the--sadly, the few bad actors that do come up, the
    privacy issues that we need to be mindful of, but I do think--
    and the connectivity you have talked about, you know, without
    power, none of this works, and we do need to continue to
    explore and continue to advance and partner between the public
    and the private sectors, and I just want to thank you for your
    time. There may be questions submitted by others, and we look
    forward to working with you in the future.
        We plan on having another hearing in the future with
    Government officials, with FEMA and Red Cross and some others,
    and we look forward to trying to ensure that all of the
    innovation that you are creating and the way in which your
    companies want to contribute in emergency preparedness, we just
    thank you very much.
        So thank you. This meeting is adjourned.
        [Whereupon, at 11:29 a.m., the subcommittee was adjourned.]

       EMERGENCY MGMT 2.0: HOW #SOCIALMEDIA & NEW TECH ARE TRANSFORMING
        PREPAREDNESS, RESPONSE, & RECOVERY #DISASTERS #PART2 #GOVT/NGOS

                                  ----------

                             Tuesday, July 9, 2013

                 U.S. House of Representatives,
     Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response,
                                    and Communications,
                                Committee on Homeland Security,
                                                        Washington, DC.
        The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10:07 a.m., in
    Room 311, Cannon House Office Building, Hon. Susan W. Brooks
    [Chairwoman of the subcommittee] presiding.
        Present: Representatives Brooks, Palazzo, and Perry.
        Also present: Representative Swalwell.
        Mrs. Brooks. The Committee on Homeland Security,
    Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and
    Communications will come to order.
        I would like to welcome our witnesses, everyone in the
    audience, and those who are watching this webcast to our second
    hearing on how social media and new technology are transforming
    disaster preparedness, response, and recovery.
        Last month, the subcommittee heard from the private sector
    on this topic, and today we will continue our discussion with
    the Government and the NGO officials on how they are
    incorporating social media and new technologies into their
    emergency management efforts.
        Before I recognize myself for an opening statement, I ask
    unanimous consent that the gentleman from California, Mr.
    Swalwell, a member of the full committee, be permitted to sit
    on the dais and participate in today's hearing.
        So without objection, so ordered.
        There is no doubt that social media and new technologies
    are playing an increasing role in the way we prepare for,
    respond to, and recover from disasters.
        As we have seen through recent events, such as Hurricane
    Sandy and the Boston bombings, individuals and organizations,
    more than ever, are turning to social media and the internet to
    obtain public safety information, to connect with friends and
    family, and to request, most importantly, assistance from
    emergency response organizations.
        In fact, in a 2012 survey conducted by the Red Cross, we
    learned that 70 percent of respondents suggested that emergency
    response agencies should regularly monitor their social media
    sites so they can promptly respond to any requests for help.
        In addition, an infographic created by the University of
    San Francisco, and those are what you are seeing on the
    screens, showed that during a disaster, 1 out of 3 citizens
    expects help to arrive within 60 minutes of posting a request
    on social media.
        Social media also enables response organizations to quickly
    push information out to the public; something that has not been
    possible on such a wide scale until recently. A great example
    of this was in the Boston bombings when the first official
    announcement that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev had been captured, it came
    not at a traditional press conference like in the past, but
    instead, it was tweeted out through the Boston Police
    Department.
        Also, during the search for the Tsarnaev brothers,
    individual citizens were able to tweet and post videos, photos,
    and other information to law enforcement officials, which
    actually served as a force multiplier and it assisted in the
    hunt for the Tsarnaev brothers.
        We have also seen similar examples in which response
    officials have leveraged information from social media to
    enhance the response efforts in such instances as Hurricane
    Sandy and the Oklahoma tornadoes.
        Two of the most prominent emergency management
    organizations are with us today: The American Red Cross and the
    Federal Emergency Management Agency.
        Earlier this year, I had pleasure to visit both of their
    headquarters to learn more about their roles in preparing for,
    responding to, and recovering from disasters, and I was
    impressed to see how these agencies are incorporating 21st
    Century technology into their operations.
        It was because of those visits that we had the idea to host
    these hearings and to learn more and have them share more with
    the American public about what they are doing.
        In my visit to the Red Cross, I learned how they partnered
    with Dell to develop their Digital Operations Center, which is
    the first social-media monitoring platform dedicated
    specifically to humanitarian relief.
        This center allows the Red Cross to crowdsource information
    from affected areas during a disaster, spot trends and better
    anticipate the public's needs, and connect people with the
    resources they need; food, water, shelter, even emotional
    support.
        In conjunction with the Digital Operations Center, the Red
    Cross has developed what I think more and more agencies and
    local and State governments need to consider, and they have
    developed a Digital Volunteer Program, on which we will hear
    more; it trains digital volunteers from across the country and
    even the world, I have learned, as to how to use on-line apps
    to respond to questions from the public, distribute critical
    public safety information, and provide comfort and reassurance.
        During Hurricane Sandy, the digital volunteers played a
    critical role in enabling the Red Cross to actively monitor and
    verify social media posts around the clock and provide
    information to create that situational awareness.
        FEMA's Administrator, Craig Fugate, has been a big
    supporter of social media as well, and FEMA has been an active
    user of Facebook and Twitter to communicate with the public.
        I have also heard that FEMA is engaging with private-sector
    companies, including Google and Twitter, to determine how best
    to take advantage of open data, social media, and the two-way
    interaction to enhance their emergency management capabilities.
        We are also seeing a rise in the use of social media by
    State and local emergency management organizations, and in a
    recent survey conducted by the National Emergency Management
    Association and CNA on the use of social media, the majority of
    State, county, and local agencies reported using some social
    media in their disaster preparedness, response, and efforts,
    but to varying degrees.
        I think a great example of this was--at the local level--
    was how Moore and Oklahoma City used their Twitter accounts
    during the devastating tornadoes last month. Both cities used
    Twitter to relay real-time updates on open shelters, road
    closures, lost and found pets, and personal items, and they
    also monitored their accounts and responded to requests for
    assistance posted by disaster survivors.
        Just last week, in my home State in Indiana, I toured MESH
    Coalition, which is a public health, non-profit, public-private
    partnership, and it is using social media for what they call
    infodemiology.
        They have dedicated staff monitoring social media as a
    disease surveillance tool and they push information to the
    hospitals and to the public health departments through Twitter
    about what they are seeing.
        I had the opportunity to see this operation last week, and
    again, I am hopeful that this new use of social media will be
    replicated far beyond the Hoosier State.
        While I have highlighted some positive developments in the
    use of social media and new technology, I do recognize that
    there are some challenges.
        For example, we must be mindful of how misleading, faulty,
    or malicious information or pictures can escalate quickly on
    social media sites and potentially negatively affect response
    efforts.
        In addition, as we have learned from our private-sector
    partners in the last hearing, we need to establish common
    standards and procedures to help make the sharing of data more
    efficient.
        Our private-sector witnesses also agreed that there more
    could be done in the way of public-/private-sector partnerships
    to help maximize the use of social media for disaster purposes
    and particularly to leverage big data so that the response and
    recovery efforts can be focused on those areas most in need.
        I am pleased to welcome our distinguished panel of
    witnesses.
        [The statement of Chairwoman Brooks follows:]
                    Statement of Chairwoman Susan W. Brooks
                                  July 9, 2013
        There is no doubt that social media and new technologies are
    playing an increasing role in the way we prepare for, respond to, and
    recover from disasters. As we have seen through recent events, such as
    Hurricane Sandy and the Boston bombings, individuals and organizations,
    more than ever, are turning to social media and the internet to obtain
    public safety information, to connect with friends and family, and to
    request assistance from emergency response organizations. In fact, in a
    2012 survey conducted by the Red Cross, 70 percent of respondents
    suggested that emergency response agencies should regularly monitor
    their social media sites so they can promptly respond to any requests
    for help. In addition, an Infographic created by the University of San
    Francisco showed that during a disaster, 1 out of 3 citizens expects
    help to arrive within 60 minutes of posting a request on social
    media.\1\
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        \1\ University of San Francisco website. Accessed on June 20, 2013,
    http://onlinempa.usfca.edu/social-media/.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        Social media also enables response organizations to quickly push
    information to the public--something that has not been possible on such
    a wide scale until recently. A great example of this was after the
    Boston bombings when the first official announcement that Dzhokhar
    Tsarnaev had been captured came not at a traditional press conference,
    but through a tweet by the Boston Police Department. Also, during the
    search for the Tsarnaev brothers, individual citizens were able to
    tweet and post videos, photos, and other information to law enforcement
    officials, which served as a ``force multiplier'' and assisted in the
    hunt.
        We have also seen similar examples in which response officials have
    leveraged information from social media to enhance response efforts
    during recent natural disasters, such as Hurricane Sandy and the
    Oklahoma tornadoes.
        Two of the most prominent emergency management organizations are
    with us today, the American Red Cross and the Federal Emergency
    Management Agency. Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to visit
    both of their headquarters to learn more about their roles in preparing
    for, responding to, and recovering from disasters. I was impressed to
    see how they have incorporated 21st-Century technology into their
    operations.
        During my visit to the Red Cross, I learned how they partnered with
    Dell to develop a Digital Operations Center, which is the first social-
    media monitoring platform dedicated to humanitarian relief.\2\ This
    center allows the Red Cross to crowdsource information from affected
    areas during a disaster; spot trends and better anticipate the public's
    needs; and connect people with the resources they need, such as food,
    water, shelter, or even emotional support.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        \2\ American Red Cross website. Accessed on June 20, 2013. http://
    www.redcross.org/news/press-release/The-American-Red-Cross-and-Dell-
    Launch-First-Of-Its-Kind-Social-Media-Digital-Operations-Center-for-
    Humanitarian-Relief.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        In conjunction with the Digital Operations Center, the Red Cross
    has also developed a Digital Volunteer Program, which trains digital
    volunteers from across the country in how to use on-line applications
    to respond to questions from the public, distribute critical public
    safety information, and provide comfort and reassurance during
    emergencies. During Hurricane Sandy, the digital volunteers played a
    critical role in enabling the Red Cross to actively monitor and verify
    social media posts around the clock and provide information to create
    situational awareness.
        FEMA's administrator, Craig Fugate, has been a big supporter of
    social media as well, and FEMA has been an active user of Facebook and
    Twitter to communicate with the public. I've also heard that FEMA is
    engaging with private-sector companies, including Google \3\ and
    Twitter,\4\ to determine how best to take advantage of open data,
    social media, and two-way interaction to enhance their emergency
    management capabilities.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        \3\ FEMA website: Accessed on June 21, 2013, http://www.fema.gov/
    medialibrary/media_records/1081.
        \4\ FEMA website: Accessed on June 21, 2013, http://www.fema.gov/
    medialibrary/media_records/3581.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        We are also seeing a rise in the use of social media by State and
    local emergency management organizations. In a recent survey conducted
    by the National Emergency Management Association and CNA on the use of
    social media in the emergency management field, the majority of State,
    county, and local agencies reported using social media in their
    disaster preparedness and response efforts, but to varying degrees.
        I think a good example of the use of social media at the local
    level is how the cities of Moore and Oklahoma City used their Twitter
    accounts during the devastating tornadoes last month. Both cities used
    Twitter to relay real-time updates on open shelters, road closures,
    lost and found pets, and personal items. They also actively monitored
    their accounts and responded to requests for assistance posted by
    disaster survivors.
        In my home State of Indiana, MESH Coalition, a public health, non-
    profit, public-private partnership is using social media for, what they
    call, ``infodemiology.'' They have dedicated staff monitoring social
    media as a disease surveillance tool and push information to hospitals
    and public health departments through Twitter. I had the opportunity to
    see this operation first-hand last week. I am hopeful that this
    innovative use of social media and new technology will be replicated
    beyond the Hoosier State.
        While I have highlighted some positive developments in the use of
    social media and new technology, I do realize that there are some
    challenges as well. For example, we must be mindful of how misleading,
    faulty, or malicious information or pictures can escalate quickly on
    social media sites and potentially negatively affect response efforts.
    In addition, as we learned from our private-sector partners in the last
    hearing, there is a need to establish common standards and procedures
    to help make the sharing of data more efficient. Our private-sector
    witnesses also agreed that there could be more done in the way of
    public-/private-sector partnerships to help maximize the use of social
    media for disaster purposes, and to leverage big data so response and
    recovery efforts can be focused on those areas most in need.
        I am pleased to welcome our distinguished panel of witnesses, and I
    look forward to hearing your perspectives on these issues.

        Mrs. Brooks. I look forward to hearing your perspectives on
    these issues, but I now recognize the gentleman from
    California, Mr. Swalwell, for any opening statements he might
    have.
        Mr. Swalwell. Thank you, and good morning.
        I would like to thank the witnesses for being here as well
    as Chairman Brooks. I also appreciate the opportunity to be
    here and fill in for my colleague, the gentleman from New
    Jersey, Donald Payne, who is not here today because he has
    business at the White House.
        I would first like to begin by extending my sympathies to
    those who died or were injured during the plane crash at San
    Francisco International Airport on this past Saturday and to
    their families, and I would like to thank our first responders,
    our police, fire, and emergency personnel, who responded and
    mitigated the loss of life in that situation.
        This hearing is very timely because at the crash scene, we
    saw first-hand the role that social media can play. In fact,
    social media was first to provide on-the-ground reports and
    photos from the crash scene.
        It was actually the first tweet, the first information that
    came out was from a former AOL Media and Studios executive,
    David Eun from Samsung, who was on the plane and tweeted a
    picture, relayed that he and the majority of passengers were
    okay. This turned out to be credible information but also kind
    of set the tone for what would follow from the ground.
        Following what happened, survivors used Twitter, Facebook,
    and Path to assure loved ones that they were safe.
        San Francisco Airport SFO used social media to provide up-
    to-date information on response efforts and the National
    Transportation Safety Board did the same with respect to its
    investigation.
        I, myself, during the moments following the crash and the
    investigation used social media like Twitter and Facebook to
    both share and learn information, and just yesterday, President
    Obama gave remarks at the White House in which he talked about
    the administration's effort and desire to encourage Government
    to be smarter, more effective, and more efficient through its
    use of technology. He cited FEMA's use of web apps in the
    aftermath of Sandy.
        In this new age of social media and instant communications,
    it shouldn't be surprising that they now play such an important
    role in the moments following an emergency disaster, and their
    use after this plane accident is a reminder of the most recent
    example.
        Just behind me I have the same infograph that my colleague,
    Mrs. Brooks, referred to, provided by the University of San
    Francisco, which provides great information on how modern
    technology is impacting disaster response.
        I do want to highlight that 76 percent of those polled used
    social media to let people know that they were okay; 76 percent
    of folks who were in a disaster, and 18 percent of those folks
    received their information from Facebook.
        Much of the social media is developed and produced in
    Silicon Valley, and I am proud to represent northern Silicon
    Valley in Congress. What Silicon Valley companies like Google,
    Facebook, and Twitter are doing to help ordinary citizens
    volunteer, share information, and be more prepared for
    disasters was discussed at the first hearing in this series
    held last month. I applaud them for their efforts.
        Today, our focus will be on how Government and our primary
    non-Governmental response organization, the Red Cross, use
    social media in disaster situations. This will hopefully
    include a discussion of both the opportunities and challenges
    to using modern technology.
        Among our witnesses are Sergeant Kierce, director of the
    Jersey City Office of Emergency Management and Homeland
    Security. This office has been on the forefront of
    interoperable communications and social media and last month
    was recognized in Washington, DC, with an International 2013
    Computerworld Honors Laureate for implementation of a
    remarkable communications surveillance system.
        With its internet-based Mutualink, Jersey City OEM can
    facilitate communications across various frequencies and types
    of communications, provide first-responder users access to
    secure video systems, and enable first responders to share
    images of disaster and videos with hospitals and public safety
    officials.
        By integrating both social media and enhanced
    communications technologies into emergency response
    capabilities, Jersey City will be able to respond to disasters
    more quickly and more effectively.
        Although cities like Jersey City and San Francisco have
    proven particularly adept in integrating new technologies into
    its disaster preparedness plans, I understand that not every
    city has been just as successful.
        To be fair, Jersey City and San Francisco have benefited
    from significant grants from Federal homeland security
    programs. One of our largest challenges is that as funding for
    these programs has been reduced, fewer cities have had the
    resources necessary to develop robust communication systems and
    to cultivate the expertise necessary to navigate and
    effectively integrate social media into disaster response
    plans.
        The Social Media in the Emergency Management Field, a 2012
    survey results study released by the National Emergency
    Management Association, also known as NEMA, and the non-profit
    research organization, CNA, which my colleague also referred
    to, indicates that although local governments consider
    themselves moderately familiar with social media, the primary
    barrier to emergency management agencies' use of social media
    is the lack of dedicated personnel on the ground.
        Additionally, there appears to be a generation gap when it
    comes to using social media on the part of the public and some
    emergency managers. It is hard to use social media to aid in a
    disaster response if you cannot spare the personnel to do the
    work or you don't have anyone who understands the technology.
        In other words, we still have a lot of catching up to do.
        Another challenge is that there is undeniably a socio-
    economic component with respect to use and access to social
    media. Some Americans, particularly those who are low income,
    simply don't have the same access to the internet, smartphones,
    or Wi-Fi.
        We can't ignore the impact of the digital divide as we
    begin to integrate social media into disaster response
    activities. We can't leave them behind or without information.
        Finally, for the Government to best utilize social media,
    it is not just about putting information on Twitter and
    Facebook, agencies need to be providing data in a usable, open-
    source format so the high-technology companies like Google can
    easily and quickly incorporate it into their web pages, apps,
    and other portals.
        I look forward to discussing with our witnesses the
    challenges that are ahead highlighting the successes and
    looking forward to what we can do to make sure that we are
    ready to respond to the next disaster.
        Thank you.
        [The statement of Mr. Swalwell follows:]
                        Statement of Hon. Eric Swalwell
                                  July 9, 2013
        I'd like to begin by extending my sympathies to those who died or
    were injured during the plane crash at San Francisco Airport (SFO) this
    weekend and to their families. And, I'd like to thank the EMS teams,
    firefighters, and police for their heroic response.
        This hearing is very timely, for we just saw in this horrible
    accident how critical and relevant social media can be in times of
    crisis. Following what happened, survivors used Twitter, Facebook, and
    Path to assure loved ones that they were safe. SFO used social media to
    provide the public up-to-date information on response efforts and the
    National Transportation Safety Board did the same with respect to its
    investigation. I myself used social media like Twitter both to share
    and learn information.
        And, just yesterday, President Obama gave remarks at the White
    House in which he talked about his administration's desire to encourage
    Government to be smarter, effective, and efficient, through its use of
    technology. He cited FEMA's use of the web and apps in the aftermath of
    Hurricane Sandy.
        In this new age of social media and instant communication, it
    shouldn't be surprising that they now play an important role in
    disaster response. And, their use after this plane accident is just the
    most recent example.
        I have an info-graphic on the screen, provided by the University of
    San Francisco--located just across the bay from my Congressional
    district--which provides great information on how modern technology is
    impacting disaster response. For example, 76 percent of those polled
    used social media to let people know they are ok. And, 18 percent got
    emergency information from Facebook.
        Much of this social media is developed and produced in Silicon
    Valley, and I'm proud to represent Northern Silicon Valley in Congress.
    What Silicon Valley companies like Google, Facebook, and Twitter are
    doing to help ordinary citizens volunteer, share information, and be
    more prepared for disasters was discussed at the first hearing in this
    series held last month. I applaud them for their efforts.
        Today our focus will be on how Government and our primary non-
    Governmental response organization, the Red Cross, use social media in
    disaster situations. This will hopefully include a discussion of both
    the opportunities and challenges to using this modern technology.
        Among our witnesses are Sergeant Kierce, Director of the Jersey
    City Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (OEM). This
    office has been on the forefront of interoperable communications and
    social media. Last month, the office was recognized in Washington, DC
    with an international 2013 Computerworld Honors Laureate for
    implementation of a remarkable communication and surveillance system.
        With its internet-based Mutualink, Jersey City OEM can facilitate
    communication across various frequencies and types of communications,
    provide first-responder users access to security video systems, and
    enable first responders to share images of disaster and videos with
    hospitals and other public safety officials. By integrating both social
    media and other enhanced communications technologies into its emergency
    response capabilities, Jersey City will be able to respond to disasters
    more quickly and more effectively.
        Although cities like Jersey City and San Francisco have proven
    particularly adept in integrating new technologies into its disaster
    response plans, I understand that other cities have not been as
    successful. To be fair, Jersey City and San Francisco have benefited
    from significant grants from Federal homeland security programs.
        One of our challenges is that as funding for these programs have
    been reduced, fewer cities have had the resources necessary to develop
    robust communications systems and to cultivate the expertise necessary
    to effectively integrate social media into disaster response plans. The
    Social Media in the Emergency Management Field: 2012 Survey Results, a
    study released by the National Emergency Management Association (NEMA)
    and the nonprofit research organization CNA, indicates that although
    local governments consider themselves at least ``moderately familiar''
    with social media, the ``primary barrier to emergency management
    agencies' use of social media is a lack of dedicated personnel.''
        Additionally, there appears to be a generation gap when it comes to
    using social media--on the part of the public and some emergency
    managers. It's hard to use social media to aid in disaster response if
    you can't spare the personnel to do the work, or don't have anyone who
    understands the technology.
        Another challenge is that there is undeniably a socio-economic
    component with respect to use of and access to social media. Some
    Americans, particular those who are low-income, simply don't have the
    same level of access to the internet, smart phones, or WiFi. We can't
    ignore the impact of this ``digital divide'' as we begin to integrate
    social media into disaster response activities. We can't leave them
    behind, or without needed information.
        Finally, for the Government to best utilize social media, it's not
    just about it putting information on Twitter and Facebook. Agencies
    need to be providing data in a useable, open-source format so the high-
    technology companies like Google can easily and quickly incorporate it
    to their own web pages, apps, and other portals.
        I look forward to discussing with our witnesses both the
    opportunities presented by social media and the challenges I laid out,
    as well as how we can go about tackling them. Be it more resources, new
    statutory authority, or better guidance from the Federal Emergency
    Management Agency (FEMA), we should be doing all we can to best harness
    the tremendous power of social media in disaster relief and recovery.
    The Congress should stand ready to work with the President in this
    effort, part of his broader goal to make Government more
    technologically savvy.

        Mrs. Brooks. Thank you.
        Other Members of the committee are reminded opening
    statements may be submitted for the record.
        [The statement of Ranking Member Thompson follows:]
                 Statement of Ranking Member Bennie G. Thompson
                                  July 9, 2013
        Good morning. Thank you Chairwoman Brooks and Ranking Member Payne,
    Jr. for holding this hearing today.
        Last month, this subcommittee heard testimony from private-sector
    witnesses who described the social media and big-data technologies that
    emergency managers and first responders can use to improve disaster
    response activities.
        Google.org and Palantir brought to bear impressive resources during
    Hurricane Sandy and the Boston Marathon bombings.
        PSE&G--a Newark, New Jersey utility company--described its social
    media efforts to keep its customers informed of power restoration
    efforts after Hurricane Sandy.
        PSE&G's is sharing its best practices and lessons learned with
    other utilities and critical infrastructure companies.
        From Hurricane Sandy to the tornadoes in Oklahoma, it is clear that
    social media is becoming a staple in effective disaster response.
        Both the public and Government entities involved in disaster
    response have come to rely on social media to supplement and enhance
    situational awareness and outreach activities.
        This kind of innovation can not only be cost-effective but it can
    also saves lives.
        That said, we cannot lose sight of social media's inherent
    vulnerabilities: The security and accuracy of information shared.
        As Jason Payne from Palantir aptly noted during the June 4 hearing,
    social media platforms must include ``robust, built-in measures to
    allow users appropriate access and to share information . . . while
    protecting privacy and civil liberties.''
        I look forward to learning about the policies used by FEMA and its
    non-Governmental partners to ensure that potentially-sensitive
    information gathered to inform disaster response is destroyed when it
    is no longer needed.
        I also look forward to hearing that this information is used only
    for the purpose of disaster response.
        Additionally, I am concerned about the circulation of
    misinformation during a disaster.
        We all know that rumors and unverified information can undermine
    legitimate response activities.
        I understand that FEMA launched Rumor Control, a website devoted to
    correcting misinformation circulated by social media sites, in the
    aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
        That is a good start.
        But I am interested in learning about the guidance FEMA provides to
    its State and local Government and private-sector partners about how to
    verify information before it is shared.
        I am also interested in learning about the type of guidance
    provided to help verify open-source information that authorities may
    gain from social media.
        I look forward to hearing the testimony from our witnesses.
        Thank you, and I yield back the balance of my time.

        Mrs. Brooks. We are very pleased to have a very
    distinguished panel before us today, and I would like to start
    out by introducing Shayne Adamski. He serves as the senior
    manager of digital engagement at the Federal Emergency
    Management Agency, a position he has held since 2010.
        In this capacity, he is responsible for the strategy and
    coordination of web, mobile, and social media initiatives
    across the agency.
        Next up is Ms. Susie DeFrancis. She serves as the chief
    public affairs officer at the American Red Cross. She oversees
    all communications, Government relations, and strategic
    partnerships. Under her leadership, the American Red Cross has
    built a 21st Century communications operation concentrating on
    the use of social media, other forms of digital engagement, and
    building, as I said earlier, the first-ever social media center
    for humanitarian purposes.
        Next is Mr. Albert Ashwood. He is the director of the
    Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management, a position he has
    held since 1997. He joined the State's emergency management
    department in 1988 and he previously served as president of
    NEMA, the National Emergency Management Association, and is
    testifying on behalf of NEMA.
        Finally, I want to thank you, Mr. Swalwell, for introducing
    Sergeant Greg Kierce.
        So welcome. Thank you very much for coming.
        The witnesses' full written statements will appear in the
    record.
        The Chairwoman will now recognize Mr. Adamski for 5
    minutes.

        STATEMENT OF SHAYNE ADAMSKI, SENIOR MANAGER OF DIGITAL
         ENGAGEMENT, FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY, U.S.
                    DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

        Mr. Adamski. Chairwoman Brooks, Mr. Swalwell, Members of
    the subcommittee, good morning.
        I am Shayne Adamski, the senior manager for digital
    engagement at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's
    Federal Emergency Management Agency.
        On behalf of Administrator Fugate and Secretary Napolitano,
    thank you for the opportunity to discuss FEMA's use of social
    media.
        I am pleased to be here today to discuss the role of social
    media in disasters and emergencies and fortunate to have
    partners with us here today who see the value in using these
    tools for public safety.
        Millions of Americans use social media every day to check
    in on friends and family, learn about current events, and share
    their experiences on-line.
        FEMA uses social media to be a part of this on-going
    dialogue, to meet people where they are, using tools and
    platforms they are already familiar with.
        With one click of the mouse or one swipe on a smartphone's
    screen, a message is capable of being spread to thousands of
    people to have a tangible real-world impact, and as such, FEMA
    uses social media in numerous ways.
        So as we will see on the screens in the next slide, we use
    it to provide safety and preparedness tips to inform the public
    of the most effective ways to help disaster survivors as well
    as to let disaster survivors know where they are able to
    receive assistance.
        We use social media to provide up-to-date information about
    how the emergency management team, including FEMA, is helping
    communities and individuals prepare for, respond to, recover
    from, and mitigate disasters.
        On slide No. 3, we see the onset of the recent Oklahoma
    tornados: One of the many messages that we tweeted was
    ``#Oklahoma. We are working closely with State emergency
    management and local officials.'' We stand ready to support as
    needed and as requested.
        Soon after we followed up with the news that FEMA had it
    deployed urban search and rescue, incident management, and
    mobile emergency response support teams to Oklahoma.
        On slides No. 4 and 5 we will see photos that we posted
    after Hurricane Sandy of our FEMA community relations teams who
    are now called disaster survivor assistance teams going door-
    to-door in the impacted areas helping survivors get help and
    apply for aid.
        Social media is, at its essence, a conversation, and it is
    a conversation that we strive to be an active part of. Of
    course in true conversation form, both participants listen and
    respond in turn, and social media is no different.
        This exchange is a critical component of being viewed as
    responsive or authoritative source of information. This two-way
    flow of information had an impact after Hurricane Sandy. As we
    will see on the next slide, we launched a rumor control
    initiative. It was an initiative using all of our on-line
    platforms to dispel inaccurate information that was being
    shared on-line.
        One example also is our disaster recovery center data
    feeds--excuse me--so we also regularly collaborate with our
    partners, particularly those in the private sector as Mr.
    Swalwell here had mentioned, including colleagues who work at
    Facebook, Twitter, and Google, so we can better understand how
    our messaging can be seen by more users especially during and
    after disasters.
        One example is our disaster recovery center data feed that
    contains information about open disaster recovery centers.
    Google regularly includes this data in their crisis maps which
    shares helpful information in a familiar and accessible format.
        We are also tapping into the importance that cell phones
    play in everyday life especially through our smart phone app
    and text message program.
        In 2011, we released our FEMA smart phone app, which
    provides information on how to make a plan, build your
    emergency kit, how to stay safe, and how to rebuild after a
    disaster.
        It also has the ability to look up disaster recovery
    centers and open shelters as we see in my final slide.
        We are very proud of the fact that the information in the
    FEMA app is also accessible even if the user does not have a
    cellular or a Wi-Fi connection making it a valuable tool during
    a disaster.
        In 2011, FEMA was the first agency to establish its own
    text message short code meaning that anyone could text 43362 or

    4-FEMA to get information on open disaster recovery centers and
    open shelters.
        During the height of Hurricane Sandy, our text message
    program received more than 10,000 requests in 1 day from people
    searching for shelter locations within a specific ZIP Code.
        Citizens can also sign up to receive regular preparedness
    tips regarding the hazards that are most common in their area
    such as earthquakes, wildfires, hurricanes, as well as
    tornadoes.
        Moving forward, FEMA will continue to engage in on-line
    conversations that lead to a more prepared and better informed
    public. We are constantly refining our digital and social media
    approach, listening to feedback from our stakeholders, and
    keeping our ear to the ground on the ever-evolving world of
    social media and the digital space.
        We learn from the conversations we have on these platforms
    and from continued collaboration with our partners. We do all
    of this to achieve our core mission of supporting America's
    citizens.
        I look forward to addressing any questions the subcommittee
    may have. Thank you.
        [The prepared statement of Mr. Adamski follows:]
                      Prepared Statement of Shayne Adamski
                                  July 9, 2013
                                  introduction
        Chairman Brooks, Ranking Member Payne, and Members of the
    subcommittee: Good morning. I am Shayne Adamski, senior manager of
    digital engagement for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's (DHS)
    Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). On behalf of Administrator
    Fugate and Secretary Napolitano, thank you for the opportunity to
    discuss FEMA's use of social media.
        I am pleased to be here today to discuss the role of social media
    in disasters and emergencies. Technology grows and changes rapidly,
    providing us with increased opportunities to educate and empower the
    public. Tools that did not exist even 5 years ago are now primary modes
    of communication for millions of Americans. Of course, tools such as
    YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter were not created for the purpose of
    preparing for, responding to, or recovering from emergencies and
    disasters. However, the potential for useful application of these tools
    to strengthen the effectiveness of the FEMA mission exists and should
    be explored.
        FEMA's success in fulfilling its mission is highly dependent upon
    our ability to communicate with the individuals, families, and
    communities we serve. For that reason, social media conversations are
    extremely valuable to the work we do, and we are fortunate to have
    partners with us here today who see the value of using these tools to
    increase public safety.
        Today, I would like to discuss why social media is important to the
    work we do as well as how FEMA uses social media and strategic
    partnerships to fulfill our mission.
         the power and promise of social media in emergency management
        FEMA's approach to emergency management recognizes that
    individuals, families, and communities are our greatest assets and the
    keys to our success. In order to fulfill our mission, we must work
    together as one team--this notion is at the heart of our whole-
    community approach to emergency management.
        Social media is imperative to emergency management because the
    public uses these communication tools regularly. Rather than trying to
    convince the public to adjust to the way we at FEMA traditionally
    communicated, we have adapted to the way the public communicates,
    leveraging the tools they use on a daily basis. Millions of Americans
    use social media every day to check in on friends and family, learn
    about current events, and share their experiences. FEMA uses social
    media to be part of this on-going dialogue and meet people where they
    are, using tools and platforms they are already familiar with.
        FEMA also uses social media and other digital methods to
    communicate because as we have seen, information can lead to action.
    Our goal is for our safety-related information to have a real-world
    impact--to inspire actions that lead to more resilient families and
    communities. If someone sees a preparedness or safety tip from FEMA,
    the goal is that it will inspire them to prepare or empower them to
    tell a friend how to be more prepared or where to find help.
        Finally, social media and technology allow us to reach more people
    more quickly during disasters, when they need accurate, timely, and
    authoritative information that helps ensure the protection of their
    life or livelihood. With one click of the mouse, or one swipe on their
    smartphone's screen, a message is capable of being spread to thousands
    of people and have a tangible impact.
                           how fema uses social media
        FEMA uses multiple social media platforms to reach the public and
    to provide them with useful information. While no individual social
    media tool is exhaustive or all-encompassing, each allows us to
    communicate with the populations we serve. I would like to discuss a
    few of the social media tools we use at FEMA, and how we use them.
        We are very active on two of the most popular social networks in
    America--Facebook and Twitter--where we are able to reach the greatest
    number of active, engaged users. We have three Facebook pages and 34
    Twitter accounts. Collectively, our Twitter accounts have 400,000
    followers, while our Facebook pages have 143,000 fans. FEMA also
    manages a YouTube channel as well as discussions on an on-line
    collaboration site called IdeaScale.
        These numbers also show our growth and demonstrate our increasing
    ability to communicate with Americans on-line. When I started in my
    position in June 2010, we had 25,000 followers on all of our social
    media accounts combined. Today, FEMA has well over 500,000 users on
    these sites.
        FEMA uses social media in five primary ways.
        First, we use social media to provide up-to-date information about
    how the whole community emergency management team, including FEMA, is
    helping communities and individuals prepare for, respond to, and
    recover from and mitigate disasters.
        At the onset of the recent Oklahoma tornadoes, one of the many
    messages that we tweeted was: ``#Oklahoma: We're working closely with
    state emergency management & local officials. We stand ready to support
    as needed & requested.'' Soon after, we followed up with the news that
    FEMA had deployed Urban Search & Rescue, Incident Management, and
    Mobile Emergency Response Support teams to Oklahoma.
        And just after Hurricane Sandy we posted photos of our FEMA Corps
    Community Relations (now called Disaster Survivor Assistance Teams)
    personnel going door-to-door in the impacted areas, helping survivors
    get help and apply for aid in New Jersey and New York.
        We also leverage our social media accounts to help our Federal,
    State, local, Tribal, territorial, and private-sector partners share
    key messages. For example, we shared many status updates from trusted
    sources before, during, and after Hurricane Sandy, including from
    Governor Chris Christie, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and other Governors
    and mayors throughout the affected region.
        Following the Oklahoma tornadoes in May, we amplified key messages
    from the Oklahoma State government and the city of Moore. We regularly
    share updates from our partners at all levels because we recognize that
    successful emergency management requires a whole-community approach and
    effort.
        Second, we use social media to provide safety and preparedness
    tips. As the subcommittee is aware, we are currently in the middle of
    the 2013 Atlantic hurricane season, so we recently posted tips
    regarding properly securing windows during a hurricane. Similar
    messages are posted regularly across all of our social media accounts
    to help ensure that Americans have actionable, specific ways to get
    themselves, their families, their business, and their communities
    better prepared for disasters.
        These safety tips focus on more than just preparedness. We also
    share information about how people are able to stay safe during and
    after disasters with critical reminders to stay away from damaged areas
    and allow emergency crews and rescue workers to work.
        Third, we use social media to inform the public of the most
    effective ways to help disaster survivors. Americans show tremendous
    generosity after disasters, so we provide tips on how that generosity
    could be most effective. For example, we encourage Americans to donate
    through trusted charities that know the specific needs of the impacted
    community.
        Fourth, we tell disaster survivors where and how they are able to
    receive assistance--whether that be from FEMA or from another trusted
    source. To accomplish this, we leverage all of our social media
    accounts, including those managed in each of FEMA's regional offices.
    Our regional offices fill an important niche, providing useful
    information to local users, such as locations of FEMA's Disaster
    Recovery Centers or by highlighting local resources. We employed this
    tactic after Hurricane Sandy and during both the recent floods in
    Illinois and the tornadoes in Oklahoma.
        Fifth, we tap into the potential of social media to gain valuable
    feedback. As I shared before, social media is at its essence a
    conversation and it is a conversation that we strive to be an active
    part of. Of course, in true conversation, both participants listen and
    respond in turn--social media is no different. This exchange is a
    critical component of being viewed as a responsive, authoritative
    source of information.
        This two-way flow of information had an impact after Hurricane
    Sandy. In the days following the hurricane, FEMA launched ``Rumor
    Control,'' an initiative using all of our on-line platforms to dispel
    inaccurate information being shared on-line. We listened and identified
    rumors circulating on-line, from logistics information to specific
    disaster assistance programs, and moved to quickly correct the
    misinformation. This was done by creating a Rumor Control page on
    fema.gov and m.fema.gov (FEMA's mobile website), as well as through
    answering many questions received through our Facebook and Twitter
    accounts. FEMA receives questions almost daily on Facebook and Twitter,
    so we dedicate resources to answering them, thus helping to fulfill
    FEMA's mission of supporting America's citizens.
        To further facilitate feedback and interaction from the on-line
    community, FEMA also holds the equivalent of ``virtual town halls''
    using Twitter chats. Twitter chats are real-time conversations using
    the platform. One recent example came after Hurricane Sandy. Federal
    Coordinating Officer for New York, Mike Byrne, participated in a
    Twitter chat and fielded many questions, such as ``How do homeowners
    get the amounts they need to rebuild?'' and ``Has @Fema spread into
    affected communities, holding open houses and is it better coordinated
    w/other agencies than 1 mo ago?''. These on-line ``town halls'' allow
    FEMA to answer questions in an open, public forum and contribute to
    growing our on-line following, which is essential to educating a
    greater number of Americans.
        As we use social and digital media, we follow record management and
    Paperwork Reduction Act rules. It is also important to note that FEMA
    writes content explicitly so that it is does not trigger the
    stipulations of the Paperwork Reduction Act and archives all social
    media content/conversations for records management purposes.
                        collaborating with key partners
        In addition to sharing key messages on our social networks from our
    partners, social media also allows FEMA to work with partners, such as
    the American Red Cross, to share information about the nature of on-
    line conversations after a disaster.
        We also share what our private-sector partners are doing during a
    disaster, such as posting information about Tide Loads of Hope
    locations, where survivors can wash their clothes and Therapy Dogs
    International, which provides specially-trained dogs to comfort
    survivors.
        Additionally, we collaborate with our partners across the emergency
    management team on messaging and outreach for preparedness campaigns
    such as September's annual National Preparedness Month.
        To fully collaborate with our partners, particularly those in the
    private sector, we also make some types of information available for
    their use. One example is our Disaster Recovery Center data feed that
    contains information about open Disaster Recovery Centers. Google
    regularly includes this data in their Crisis Maps, which shares helpful
    information in a familiar and accessible format.
        We also regularly collaborate with our colleagues who work for
    platforms like Facebook, Google, and Twitter to better understand how
    our messaging could be seen by more users, especially during and after
    disasters.
        FEMA looks forward to making these non-profit and private-sector
    relationships even stronger in the future.
              social media: part of fema's larger digital presence
        FEMA's digital presence extends beyond social media. FEMA also
    communicates with Americans via the web and various mobile platforms.
    These channels complement each other and allow us to reach a larger
    audience.
        FEMA runs several websites that serve as authoritative sources for
    information, including: fema.gov, ready.gov, and
    disasterasssitance.gov.
        FEMA is also tapping into the importance that cell phones play in
    everyday life, specifically through our smartphone app, text message
    program, and Wireless Emergency Alerts. In my experience, cell phones
    are often a lifeline after a disaster and many times are the only
    source of information in the hardest-affected areas. As citizens
    continue to use smartphones more and more, those of us in emergency
    management should continually be looking for ways to share our message
    and make our services available through those devices.
        In 2011, we also released our FEMA smartphone app, which provides
    information on how to: Make a plan and build your emergency kit; stay
    safe and rebuild after a disaster; and look up open disaster recovery
    centers and open shelters. We are very proud of the fact that the
    safety information in the FEMA app is accessible within the app even if
    the user does not have a cellular or Wi-Fi connection--making it a
    valuable tool during a disaster.
        Text messaging is a form of communication that is particularly
    useful during and after a disaster when phone lines may be congested
    and voice calls often do not get through. Sending and receiving text
    messages requires less bandwidth and helps reduce the volume of phone
    calls in an area so that necessary communications are able to continue
    to be made.
        After the May 20 tornadoes in Oklahoma, we posted a message to
    Facebook that reminded people to use text messaging to check in with
    friends/family in the impacted area, as well as the American Red Cross
    Safe and Well site. The message was seen by more than 230,000 people on
    Facebook.
        In 2011, FEMA was the first Federal agency to establish its own
    text message short code--meaning that anyone could text 43362 or 4FEMA
    to obtain valuable information. Texting this code allows people to
    search for open disaster recovery centers and shelters. During the
    height of Hurricane Sandy, our text message program received more than
    10,000 requests in one day from people searching for shelter locations
    within a specific ZIP code. Citizens could also sign up to receive
    regular preparedness tips regarding the hazards that are most common in
    their area, such as earthquakes, wildfires, hurricanes, or tornadoes.
        Local and State public safety officials can send Wireless Emergency
    Alerts directly to citizen's cell phones, utilizing FEMA's Integrated
    Public Alert & Warning System. These geographically-targeted messages
    are sent from emergency managers, the National Weather Service, and the
    National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to warn citizens
    about severe weather, AMBER Alerts and other threats to safety. During
    National emergencies, the President can also communicate with citizens
    using Wireless Emergency Alerts.
                      personal preparedness meets digital
        At FEMA, we often share how Americans could use technology to be
    ``digitally prepared,'' and I would also like to take this opportunity
    to share some of those items today.
        To ensure they are prepared, we encourage people to take these
    steps:
       Store useful phone numbers in their phone, including numbers
            for local police, fire departments, and their utility company;
       Create a group of emergency contacts in their cell phone;
       Educate themselves on what social media tools are being used
            by their State, local, Tribal, and territorial emergency
            management offices, so that they are able to quickly access
            them in the event of an emergency;
       Have an extra battery for their phone (or a solar charger)
            in their emergency kit;
       Update their social media channels in the aftermath of a
            disaster to let their friends and family know they are safe by
            simply texting ``I'm OK''; and
       Know how to use text messaging to check in with friends and
            family after a disaster.
        Many social media sites also allow users to update their status via
    text message, and I would encourage the public to become familiar with
    how to do so.
                                 moving forward
        Moving forward, FEMA will continue to engage in on-line
    conversations that lead to a more prepared, better-informed public.
        We are constantly refining our social media approach, listening to
    feedback from our stakeholders and keeping our ear to the ground on the
    ever-evolving world of social media and the digital space. We also
    learn from the conversations we have on these platforms and from
    continued collaboration with our partners. We do all of this to achieve
    our core mission of supporting America's citizens.
        I look forward to addressing any questions the subcommittee may
    have.

        Mrs. Brooks. Thank you, Mr. Adamski.
        The Chairwoman now recognizes Ms. DeFrancis for 5 minutes.

       STATEMENT OF SUZANNE C. DE FRANCIS, CHIEF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
                      OFFICER, AMERICAN RED CROSS

        Ms. DeFrancis. Thank you, Chairwoman Brooks and Members of
    the committee.
        The American Red Cross appreciates this opportunity to
    share our experiences using social media to help people stay
    safe and recover from disasters, and we also look forward to
    learning from our Federal, State, and local partners here
    today.
        So today, I would like to make three points.
        The public is increasingly turning to social media and
    mobile apps to get help and to give help during disasters, and
    all of us must be listening and responding and integrating that
    information better into our response operations because, as you
    mentioned, the public has very high expectations that we are
    doing that.
        At the American Red Cross, social media plays an important
    role now in what is a 130-year-old mission. It is helping us
    provide critical information to the public, connect people to
    resources, and literally, save lives.
        Finally, social media is a powerful form of citizen
    engagement which can be harnessed to create more resilient
    communities so that the community can actually own the disaster
    response and this will help ensure our Nation is as prepared as
    possible.
        So as you mentioned, Chairwoman, that the American Red
    Cross surveys show people use social media for many reasons.
    Three out of four use it to find their friends and family and
    see if they are safe or to give information about their own
    safety.
        They are also looking for hard facts. They want the weather
    conditions, road closures, damage reports. We saw during Sandy,
    they were looking for gas stations that had gas.
        More than a third say social media has motivated them to
    gather supplies or seek shelter. As you know, it is very hard
    to convince people to prepare, but social media is making a
    dent in that.
        As you said, the public expects us to be listening and
    responding. Three out of four Americans expect help in less
    than 3 hours to arrive after a post on social media, and
    clearly, we know we have a gap there in meeting that
    expectation.
        So the hub of Red Cross social media is our digital
    operation centers, opened in March 2012 but with a generous
    gift from our wonderful partner, Dell, and as you said, it is
    the first social media center specifically devoted to
    humanitarian relief.
        We were so pleased that you were able to come and visit our
    center along with Ranking Member Payne and we hope that other
    Members of the committee will come, other Members of Congress,
    we welcome and want to show you our facilities.
        So this center allows us to pull data from social networks,
    all social networks, and categorize them by topics. So it could
    be a topic such as damages, emotional support, need for
    shelter, food, and then we can categorize that and then read,
    reply, or take the data and redirect it to inquiries to our
    disaster operations staff so they can get on it.
        During Hurricane Sandy, we analyzed more than 2.5 million
    pieces of social data. We were searching for any actionable
    content. We tagged 10,000 of these posts and whether it was
    labeling it situational awareness or something that needed to
    go to our mass care operations.
        We sent more than 300 individual pieces of information to
    our operations team on the ground and about 88 of those
    resulted in concrete actions where we actually took a step we
    weren't planning on taking to get people help.
        We tweeted and posted information on where our shelters and
    mobile feeding sites. I used to love to see our New York
    chapter send out a tweet that would say, ``The Red Cross truck
    is at 99th and 101st streets in Howard Beach, and we are
    serving Salisbury steak today.''
        Social media also helped us identify gaps in our service
    delivery. When residents of Sayreville, New Jersey had not
    received assistance 5 days after landfall, they used Facebook
    to let us know, and we were able to route this information to
    our operation on the ground to get some service delivery going
    in an area we just hadn't identified.
        Now you know the Red Cross relies on volunteers and so the
    way that we are able to scale up our social media operations
    during a disaster is through trained digital volunteers.
        During Sandy, more than 50 American Red Cross digital
    volunteers, some working remotely from around the world like
    Christoph Dennenmoser, from our German Red Cross, were actually
    responding to thousands of Facebook messages and tweets about
    Sandy.
        Now social media apps and other digital tools are an
    increasing part of 21st Century response but these tools, I
    need to hasten to add, are not a panacea. Social media can
    supplement but does not replace traditional communications.
        Not everyone, as you mentioned, is on social media. There
    is a digital divide, and when the power is out and people can't
    charge the cell phones, nobody is on social media, and the Red
    Cross will still drive through neighborhoods with bull horns
    announcing that we are there with food, water, and other
    supplies.
        Now our surveys have also found that mobile apps are
    increasingly becoming important. They are the fourth most
    popular way to get information in an emergency and remember TV,
    radio, and on-line news are still the top sources of
    information.
        The American Red Cross has released a series of five free
    apps for both iPhone and Android. People have downloaded these
    new apps 3 million times. They have weather alerts,
    preparedness information, shelter locations, and the ability to
    let loved ones know they are safe.
        A top Apple executive told our CEO, Gail McGovern, that he
    never leaves his kids without leaving our first aid app open
    for the babysitter to use.
        People have told us that they have literally saved lives in
    a restaurant using the app because it tells you how to stop
    people from choking, what to do in terms of cardiac arrest.
        Our tornado apps and other apps that we have are now
    tapping into the Government systems so that we can send an
    alarm that sounds when a tornado is approaching. We got a
    message from some mother who said, ``Now I can go to sleep
    because I know this alarm wakes me up.''
        Finally, in catastrophic disasters, the Red Cross witnesses
    an abundance of care and concern from people who are
    unaffected, people who just really want to help their
    neighbors. They are often eyewitnesses to the events as you
    described with the plane crash and the first to help their
    neighbors.
        We are seeing the possibilities here as limitless in terms
    of giving the public a seat at our disaster operations table
    and have them help control the response if you will.
        So by social media and mobile apps and new technology, we
    can create more resilient communities, more effective disaster
    response, and a more prepared Nation.
        Thank you again for your leadership on this topic,
    Chairman, and I am happy to address any questions you may have.
        [The prepared statement of Ms. DeFrancis follows:]
                   Prepared Statement of Suzanne C. DeFrancis
                                  July 9, 2013
        Good morning, Chairman Brooks, Ranking Member Payne, Members and
    staff of the subcommittee. The American Red Cross appreciates the
    opportunity to share our experience using social media and new
    technology to help people stay safe and recover from disasters and
    other emergencies. Chairman Brooks, we applaud the personal interest
    you and the Ranking Member have in this area, as evidenced by your
    visit earlier this year to our Digital Operations Center, and we look
    forward to further engagement with you and the entire committee.
        The destructive disasters we have seen across our country--from
    wildfires in the West, to the Oklahoma tornadoes, Superstorm Sandy,
    which impacted Ranking Member Payne's State of New Jersey and, the
    outbreak of tornadoes that devastated Henryville in Chairman Brooks'
    home State of Indiana--underscore the fact that disasters can strike
    anywhere at any time, and we all use all the tools and methods we can
    to help our neighbors in need.
        Today, I'd like to make three points to the committee:
        1. The public is increasingly turning to social media, mobile apps,
            and other new technology to find information and get help
            during disasters, and all of us who provide emergency relief
            must be listening and responding.
        2. The American Red Cross works to continually improve our
            services, and social media is an important tool in helping us
            share life-saving information, connect people to resources and
            literally save lives.
        3. Social media is a powerful form of citizen engagement which can
            be harnessed to create more resilient communities and ensure
            our Nation is as prepared as posssible.
                emerging social media and new technology trends
        The power of social media as a communications tool during disasters
    became clear to us in the aftermath of the earthquake that struck Haiti
    in 2010. The American Red Cross saw tweets from people trapped under
    collapsed buildings. We heard directly from members of the Haitian
    diaspora who were communicating via text with loved ones in need of
    help. With cell service down in the early hours, people sought help
    however they could.
        Like many other disaster relief organizations and emergency
    responders at the time, the American Red Cross did not have an
    efficient way to process and respond to this information. We had to
    manually intake the messages and try to route them to the right places.
    It was a sign to us that technology was rapidly-changing traditional
    disaster response methods.
        In August 2010, the American Red Cross convened an Emergency Social
    Data Summit to discuss the evolution occurring in disaster response
    with the use and reliance by the public on social media. We convened
    other emergency response and disaster relief agencies, as well as the
    social media entities that were part of this growing phenomenon. This
    was the first time that Government, nonprofit, technology, and citizen
    sectors came together to discuss the opportunities and challenges we
    face in integrating social data with disaster response.
        More than 150 people attended the all-day summit and another 1,200
    contributed virtually to the conference via Ustream and Twitter. It was
    quite a sight to see people live-blogging and tweeting in the same Red
    Cross headquarters building where citizens had once rolled bandages
    during World War I.
                              surveys of web users
        To inform the summit discussion, the American Red Cross conducted a
    survey of web users. Our survey results showed that many web users
    would turn to social communities to seek help during disasters and
    other emergencies. And, even more importantly, they expected first
    responders to be listening.
        The 2010 survey also found that Americans have high expectations
    about how first responders should be answering their requests, and it
    revealed a gap between public expectations and our ability to meet
    those expectations. For example, 69 percent said that emergency
    responders should be monitoring social media sites in order to quickly
    send help--and 74 percent expected help to come less than an hour after
    their tweet or Facebook post.
        In 2011 and 2012, the Red Cross conducted follow-up surveys on use
    of social media in emergencies. Those surveys found that Americans are
    becoming increasingly reliant on mobile devices during emergencies to
    provide information, useful tools, and a way to let loved ones know
    they are safe.
        The Red Cross surveys found that mobile apps now tie social media
    as the fourth most popular way to get information in an emergency,
    following TV, radio, and on-line news. The Red Cross survey found that
    20 percent of Americans said they have received some kind of emergency
    information from an app. These findings led to the development of a
    series of Red Cross apps that I will discuss later.
        The survey identified a subsection of the population deemed
    ``emergency social users,'' people who are the most dedicated users of
    social media during emergencies and likely to take action based on
    information gathered through their social networks.
       Three out of four emergency social users say they have
            contacted friends and family to see if they were safe.
       More than a third say social information has motivated them
            to gather supplies or seek shelter.
       These users look for the hard facts--road closures, damage
            reports, and weather conditions--and they share personal
            information about their safety and their emotions.
       Three out of four Americans (76 percent) expect help in less
            than 3 hours of posting a request on social media, up from 68
            percent in the 2011 survey.
       Forty percent of those surveyed in 2012 said they would use
            social tools to tell others they are safe, up from 24 percent
            the year before.
              using social media to advance the red cross mission
        For more than 130 years, the mission of the American Red Cross has
    been to help prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of
    emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of
    donors.
        We respond to nearly 70,000 disasters each year--ranging from a
    house fire to a hurricane. We supply about 40 percent of the Nation's
    blood to patients and hospitals. We teach skills such as First Aid and
    CPR that can save lives. We provide international humanitarian aid and
    support our military and their families through emergency
    communications and other programs.
        It may seem incongruous to some for an institution as old as ours
    to be embracing social media. But our experience teaches us that during
    a crisis, people will communicate the same way they communicate every
    day. Today, people are depending upon social media to communicate with
    their family and friends on a daily basis. And, as our surveys show,
    they are increasingly using social media to communicate in a disaster.
        To that end, the Red Cross has made social media and other forms of
    new technology a priority and our social presence continues to grow. We
    are present on all the major digital platforms. We have over half a
    million Facebook followers and we just celebrated our one millionth
    Twitter follower.
                           digital operations center
        The hub of our social media engagement is our Digital Operations
    Center at our Washington, DC, headquarters, which opened on March 7,
    2012. It is the first social media monitoring center specifically
    devoted to humanitarian relief efforts.
        This center was made possible by our generous partner, DELL, which
    built the center for us and provided the equipment and its expertise.
    This revolutionary center enables the Red Cross to clearly see what is
    happening on the ground during an emergency. It helps us to better
    anticipate disaster needs and to dispense help more quickly--whether it
    is in the form of preparedness tips, first aid instructions, and
    information about shelter, food, or other services.
        The center allows us to pull in data from social networks on topics
    we choose. It consists of an engagement console which allows us to
    categorize posts by topic, and read, reply to them, or redirect
    inquiries to our disaster operations staff or other appropriate
    subject-matter experts.
        There are four screens which visually depict this information so we
    can easily monitor it:
       The Heat Map tells us WHERE posts are coming from
            geographically;
       The Community Screen tells us WHO is posting;
       The Universe Screen tells us WHAT they are saying;
       The Conversation Dashboard tells us HOW we are doing in our
            response efforts.
        The American Red Cross is very proud of our Digital Operations
    Center. And, we love to show it off. I invite all Members of Congress
    and their staff to visit our cutting-edge communication center to learn
    more about its capabilities and witness it in action.
                     putting emergency social data to work
        Chairman Brooks, as you will recall, on March 2, 2012, an early
    season tornado outbreak devastated many communities in Kentucky and
    southern Indiana with more than 30 deaths and 300 injured. This
    disaster actually served as our first-ever test of the Digital
    Operations Center. Our small team of social media experts watched the
    heat map go red as the Indiana storms struck. Based on the activity and
    content of social media in the area, the team was able to determine
    that the tornadoes were heading right toward Henryville and quickly
    distribute preparedness information to thousands of people by offering
    links to Redcross.org and safety tips in 140 characters. We also were
    able to make operational decisions based on feedback and connect those
    on the ground with the resources they needed.
        Last October, when Superstorm Sandy struck, the American Red Cross
    launched the largest U.S. disaster response in more than 5 years. Our
    Digital Operations Center again played a crucial role.
        Starting prior to landfall and continuing well after the storm
    passed, our teams in the Digital Operations Center analyzed more than
    2.5 million pieces of social data searching for any actionable content
    from people affected by Sandy. They tagged 10,000 of these posts and
    interacted with them in some way, whether it was labeling a post as
    ``situational awareness'' or routing a need to our Mass Care
    operations.
        The social team sent more than 300 individual pieces of information
    to our operations team to help inform their decision making. This level
    of engagement allowed us to immediately address the needs and concerns
    of a large number of people in a densely-populated region of the
    country.
        We also were able to scale up our social media operations through
    the use of trained digital volunteers. They helped us monitor,
    authenticate, and route incoming disaster requests and information to
    our operations people and partners. They worked remotely using hash
    tags such as #crisisdata or #redcross to collect, collate, and respond
    to queries and concerns.
        During Sandy, more than 50 American Red Cross digital volunteers--
    some working virtually from around the world--responded to thousands of
    Facebook messages and tweets. They addressed an array of service
    delivery needs from finding the nearest shelter to answering questions
    about fallen trees and downed power lines. One of our Digital
    Volunteers was Christoph Dennenmoser, who works for the German Red
    Cross and has helped us respond to social posts on operations such as
    Haiti and Hurricane Sandy . . . all from his home or office in Germany.
        Our social engagement team, chapters, and digital volunteers
    offered information on where to find our shelters and mobile feeding
    sites. For example, our New York City chapter would tweet out that a
    Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicle would be at 99th and 101st streets
    in Howard Beach with hot meals and water. Some even tweeted out the
    menu for the day: Salisbury steak.
        The Red Cross found during Sandy that social media also helps us
    identify gaps in our service delivery. For example, residents of
    Sayreville, NJ had not received assistance 5 days after Sandy's
    landfall. Several people there used Facebook to let us know, and we
    were able to provide this information from our Digital Operations
    Center to the operation on the ground and get service delivery going in
    that hard-hit area we hadn't identified before.
        We have found one major need remains consistent during all
    disasters--people are anxious and need emotional support. This gives us
    an opportunity to provide comfort and care using our ``digital hugs,''
    delivered in 140 characters or less.
        For example, we received a tweet saying: OK #Sandy, you win. It's
    official. I'm scared.
        We replied back: Sorry you are scared, pay attn to warnings and
    find shelter nearby just in case. Redcross.org (hugs) to you!
        The answer: Thank you. Stay safe as well. Thanks for the hugs . . .
    I need it.
        The Red Cross continues to learn from all of our response efforts
    as social media evolves. There is a balance between acting on
    information shared through social media outlets and ensuring what has
    transpired is accurate and correct. By watching and tracking social
    media continually, we often can correct misinformation quickly as we
    authenticate and verify information.
         mobile apps playing larger role in disasters and saving lives
        As smart phones increasingly play a larger role in our lives, the
    American Red Cross is responding to this change with mobile solutions.
    Since June, 2012, we have released a series of five free apps for both
    iPhone and Android users.
        People across the country have downloaded these new apps more than
    3 million times, giving them vital weather alerts, preparedness
    information, shelter locations, and the ability to let loved ones know
    they are safe.
        The First Aid app, which was launched in June, 2012, is the most
    popular and has been downloaded more than 1.4 million times. A top
    executive at Apple told our CEO Gail McGovern that he never goes out
    for the evening without leaving the app open for the babysitter.
        The First Aid App was followed by four more disaster apps:
    Hurricane, earthquake, wildfire, and tornado. Popular with users, they
    receive average ratings of 4.5 out of 5.0 stars and received the ``Best
    in Show--Most Life Changing Product'' award at the recent CTIA--The
    Wireless Association Conference.
        CNN has called our Tornado App one of the ``7 apps to survive a
    tornado.'' It includes a siren that warns users when a tornado warning
    has been issued in their area. When the deadly tornadoes struck
    Oklahoma in May, our Tornado App was the number one free weather app
    and had 167,000 new downloads, bringing the total to 594,000 downloads
    since its March launch.
        The Red Cross hurricane app, which has been downloaded more than
    824,000 times, became the No. 1 free weather app during Sandy and
    received the ``Outstanding Achievement'' award at this year's National
    Hurricane Conference.
        But most gratifying is the feedback from users about how our apps
    helped save lives:

    ``I was in my friends car . . . when suddenly a friend of mine started
    having a seizure. I immediately looked at this app for help while
    calling 9-1-1 on another phone. I told the police about it and they
    said that there's a good chance the information in this app saved my
    friends life.''

    ``I never have to stay up night again worried a tornado is coming when
    there's a watch. I have a 9-month-old. I'm terrified one will come and
    I won't have enough time to get her room & downstairs. I've had apps
    before that don't work every time. This 1 actually does.''

        on-line tools are a supplement, not substitute for traditional
                                 communications
        Social media, apps, and other digital tools are becoming an
    increasingly important part of 21st Century disaster response and
    services. But it would be a mistake to assume that these tools are a
    panacea. Social media should supplement but not replace traditional
    communications. Not everyone is on social media, especially in
    vulnerable communities. And those who do use social media tend to be
    younger, more urban, and more affluent.
        Moreover, when power is out and you can't charge your smart phone,
    you will still need the Red Cross to drive through neighborhoods with
    bullhorns announcing that we are there with food, water, and other
    supplies.
        During Hurricane Sandy, the American Red Cross delivered help that
    cannot be delivered over the internet, as we:
       Mobilized more than 17,000 workers and volunteers;
       Provided more than 81,000 overnight stays in shelters;
       Served more than 17 million meals and snacks;
       Distributed more than 7 million relief items.
           partnering to extend reach of social media/new technology
        Social media and mobile technologies are bringing everyone closer
    together, and when Government, non-profits, internet, and other private
    companies, work together we can reach even more people with life-saving
    information and help.
        We can do this by sharing updates and information, and spreading
    the word through our own networks, while still preserving what is
    unique about our brands and the services we provide.
        For example, in the first hours after a disaster strikes, it's
    important to inform and connect with family and friends. What better
    place to do that than on social media. The Red Cross has made changes
    to its Safe and Well website that allows people to update their status
    on Facebook and Twitter. We have also added an ``I'm Safe'' button to
    our apps that allows people to immediately send a text message, tweet,
    or Facebook post to let loved ones know they are safe.
        We have a very close working relationship with FEMA and State and
    local emergency management, often sharing information with each other
    through social media.
        During major disasters, the Red Cross social engagement team has a
    daily check-in with the FEMA social engagement team. We frequently echo
    and/or share one another's outgoing content--for example FEMA will
    often help us push out Safe and Well to the public.
        We share situational awareness to be sure we're coming to similar
    conclusions about client needs, and we are working to integrate our
    findings with the work of State emergency operations centers.
                        a new form of citizen engagement
        In catastrophic disasters, the Red Cross witnesses an abundance of
    care and concern from the unaffected--people eagerly wanting to help.
    They are often eyewitnesses to the events, and the first to help their
    neighbors.
        FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate often speaks of his goal to have
    people see themselves as survivors and not victims of a disaster. He
    has pointed out that social media can empower the public to be a part
    of the response, not victims to be taken care of. We agree.
        In just a few weeks, we are set to launch the new, dynamic Team Red
    Cross app. This new app allows people to sign up to help, get trained
    right on their mobile device and receive notifications about Red Cross
    volunteer opportunities in their community.
        We are very excited about this next level of digital engagement
    with the American people.
        With the help of technology, we are able to offer limitless
    opportunities, thereby, turning an abundance of care into more
    resilient communities, more effective disaster response, and a more
    prepared Nation.
                         the next technological horizon
        Chairman Brooks, Ranking Member Payne, and Members of the
    subcommittee, thank you again for this opportunity to provide testimony
    today. We are delighted to be working with this subcommittee and your
    colleagues as we further explore the opportunities presented by
    engaging social media in our disaster preparedness and response.
        Social media is helping us improve our service delivery by giving
    us better situational awareness of the needs, helping us target help to
    specific locations, and getting more people engaged in giving and
    getting help. It is giving the public a seat at our Disaster Operations
    table.
        We have learned on this recent journey that we must continue to
    embrace change, remain open to new ideas and new platforms, and look
    forward to the next technological horizon.
        Thank you again for your engagement and leadership on this
    important topic. I am happy to address any questions you may have.

        Mrs. Brooks. Thank you, Ms. DeFrancis.
        The Chairwoman now recognizes Mr. Ashwood for 5 minutes.

     STATEMENT OF ALBERT ASHWOOD, DIRECTOR, OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF
                          EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

        Mr. Ashwood. Chairwoman Brooks, Congressman Swalwell,
    Members of the committee, thank you again for holding the
    hearing today on growing issue to the emergency management
    community.
        Today I am pleased to be representing the National
    Emergency Management Association as legislative committee
    chairman and past president of the association. I am also the
    director of the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management.
        As you know, in May of this year, my State suffered a
    series of severe weather events including two EF5 tornadoes.
    These storms developed in and around Oklahoma City within 11
    days of each other.
        The EF5 is the most damaging classification of tornadoes
    with the wind speeds in excess of 200 miles per hour. It is so
    rare that the National Weather Service has only documented 60
    since 1950. So to experience 2 within 11 days is extremely
    rare.
        Our job in emergency management, as is true with the entire
    public sector, is one of customer service. Part of our mission
    is accomplished by helping our customers respond to and recover
    from extreme events such as these.
        As the first tornado landed, we maintained contact with our
    Federal partners to not only meet the needs of response but to
    establish recovery efforts. Urban search and rescue teams were
    mobilized as Governor Fallin made a verbal request for Major
    Disaster Declaration.
        Later that evening, the President approved the request and
    we were well on our way of turning disaster victims into
    disaster survivors.
        Today we have nearly 14,000 families registered for
    assistance and roughly $45 million disbursed for rental
    assistance, repair, low interest loans, and grants. I cannot
    thank FEMA enough for the continued support and Congress'
    continued support of the emergency management profession.
        Now, to the topic we are here for--social media and
    disasters.
        Communications with the public is always a great challenge
    following events of this magnitude and social media is no doubt
    the new tool of messaging.
        Once we were able to gain our footing following the
    immediate response, social media gave us situational awareness
    on the ground. We were able to confirm damage reports and
    assessments through photos and messaging from the general
    public. Between June 10 and June 23, we received 105 retweets
    and nearly 250,000 impressions on Twitter as well as constant
    activity on Facebook.
        As the storms continued, the likes on our Facebook page
    increased from 200 to over 8,000 in a little less than a month.
    The emergency management community has recognized in the power
    of social media and its continuous evolution.
        Last year, NEMA joined with the Center for Naval Analysis
    to conduct a survey on how emergency managers use social media.
    We outlined numerous issues including both the strengths and
    limitations which I have outlined in detail in my statement for
    the record.
        State public information officers are currently utilizing
    these findings and addressing them through their work groups.
    Their charge is to create a template of standard operating
    procedures and concepts for virtual operation support teams
    that will give us a surge capacity through volunteer manpower.
        These efforts will continue to bring social media into the
    everyday functions of emergency management. Even though
    emergency management community is still experimenting with
    using social media for two-way communications, we realize the
    necessities to try such things for the future.
        I have been in the business for 25 years and while I
    personally do not have a Facebook page nor do I know how to
    tweet, I know my customers need accurate, timely information,
    and social media is a tool we must not ignore.
        Thank you again for this opportunity to testify. I look
    forward to your questions.
        [The prepared statement of Mr. Ashwood follows:]
                          Statement of Albert Ashwood
                                  July 9, 2013
                                  introduction
        Thank you Chairman Brooks, Ranking Member Payne, and Members of the
    subcommittee for holding this hearing today. I am the director of the
    Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management (OEM), and today I am
    pleased to represent the National Emergency Management Association
    (NEMA) as we discuss the recent tornados in my State, how social media
    was utilized in this disaster, and trends of social media in the
    emergency management community. NEMA represents the State emergency
    management directors of the 50 States, territories, and District of
    Columbia. I am also chairman of the legislative committee for the
    association.
        In order to effectively understand the role of social media in a
    disaster, I will first outline a recent disaster in Oklahoma, describe
    how social media was utilized, and then examine the larger context of
    this new medium in an age-old profession.
                          responding to recent events
        In May of this year, a series of severe weather events impacted
    numerous communities in Oklahoma, including two EF5 tornadoes
    developing in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area within 11 days of
    each other. The EF5 is the most damaging tornado with wind speeds in
    excess of 200 miles per hour. Since 1950, the EF5 and its predecessor
    the F5 tornado have been documented only 60 times in the United States.
    Therefore, the May events in Oklahoma should be categorized as
    extremely rare in our Nation's severe weather history.
        We in the emergency management profession are about people and
    their capability to prepare for, respond to, recover from, and mitigate
    the damages these types of events produce. Our job, like all in a
    public service capacity, is one of customer service with our customers
    at the local level of government. In recovery, our duty is to
    administer the appropriate laws and regulations as they were intended
    to help ``victims'' of disaster become ``survivors'' of disaster. I am
    proud to say this is currently happening in Oklahoma.
        As the live video showed the first EF5 tornado cut a path across
    the community of Moore, we remained in contact with our partners with
    the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Response was the
    primary subject as Incident Management Teams and Urban Search and
    Rescue Teams quickly dispatched to support our local first responders.
    Even during this difficult time we simultaneously initiated recovery
    actions.
        Governor Fallin made a verbal Major Disaster Declaration request,
    initiated through FEMA headquarters to the President. This was a
    procedure new to me and my 25 years in this profession. In a short
    period of time, the President approved the request and by sunrise the
    next morning Federal equipment and personnel began pouring into
    Oklahoma to assist. Within the first 24 hours, the State of Oklahoma
    established Disaster Recovery Centers, dispatched Disaster Survivor
    Assistance Teams dispatched, and produced recovery messaging. Recovery
    was in full gear even as firefighters were still digging through piles
    of debris.
        To date, we have over 13,000 families registered for assistance,
    with all inspections completed, and roughly $28 million disbursed for
    rental assistance, repairs, low-interest loans, and grants. Of the
    estimated 1.1 million cubic yards of debris, we believe 60 percent has
    been removed, and we plan on completing this rest by early August. On
    behalf of the State of Oklahoma, I offer a sincere ``thank you'' to
    Administrator Fugate, our FEMA partners, and you who continually
    support this agency and our mission in Congress.
                      utilizing social media in disasters
        Social media once again played an integral role in disaster
    communications following the tornadoes, flooding, and severe weather
    that occurred between May 18 and June 2 in Oklahoma.
        Due to limited staffing in the OEM, the use of social media was not
    active during the initial 20 days after the first tornado. Rotating
    shifts were constructed by public information officers (PIO) to assist
    along with other agencies in answering media calls during call-heavy
    time periods. An inadequate number of personnel made it difficult to
    consistently provide Twitter or Facebook updates. Concurrently, OEM
    received more than 40 Twitter mentions and 20 Facebook wall posts which
    we considered positive. In numerous cases, other agencies shared the
    OEM's situation updates and other information through social media. Due
    to the influx in information, the OEM began actively using social media
    to share recovery information for the State on June 10. Between June 10
    and June 23, OEM received 105 re-Tweets and 247,578 impressions on
    Twitter as well as 103 ``likes,'' 67 ``shares,'' and 16,359 people
    reached on Facebook.
        During the disaster, the Department leveraged social media to check
    damage reports and examine photos on social media sites. This was
    especially useful during and after the May 31 storms when an EF5
    tornado impacted El Reno and continued southeast through the Oklahoma
    City metro area. Damage reports were limited even as local news was
    broadcasting uninterrupted coverage, so OEM used social media to gain
    situational awareness about the level of damage in those early hours
    following the storms.
        As the storms continued, the amount of information on social media
    sites gained momentum. The ``likes'' on the OEM Facebook page increased
    by more than 200 and total reach increased from around 200 prior to the
    disaster to nearly 8,000 by mid-June. To assist the public with
    information, Oklahoma Management and Enterprise Services (OMES) and
    Oklahoma Interactive developed a disaster-specific website which became
    a centralized location for disaster information from OEM, other State
    agencies, voluntary organizations, and others. The website received
    118,000 visits in 18 days.
        Determining the right language to use, in this case the correct
    ``hashtag,'' helped separate the weather-related tweets from others
    during the disaster. The hashtag used during and after the disaster had
    been used for the last few years during all types of severe weather
    events and is well known by most Twitter-savvy Oklahomans. Along with
    aligning the hashtags, more than 25 disaster-related Facebook pages
    were created by users to share information about the storms, including
    where to volunteer, how to donate, and other information. On Facebook,
    rumors and misinformation were more widely reported, but in anecdotal
    form. The OEM did not find any direct evidence of false information on
    Facebook, but on several occasions people with false information said
    they found the information on Facebook. In the same occurrence, Twitter
    had propagation of rumors and false reports that was in direct
    correlation with misinformation reported through traditional media. For
    example, reports of high fatality numbers quoted on local news reports
    spread quickly on Twitter. As in other events, the public took to
    social media to express negative opinions of local storm reports and
    other coverage from local media during the many hours of continuous
    coverage.
        The National Weather Service (NWS) reported an increase in use of
    social media for these severe weather events. They also posted custom
    graphics, including tornado track maps, at the same time they were
    provided to local emergency managers. NWS saw their Twitter follower
    count nearly double and their Facebook likes increased by more than
    15,000. They also used custom time stamps on each of their tweets in
    order to minimize confusion often caused by re-Tweeting. Along with the
    OEM, Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, local
    shelters, and local rescue groups used Facebook and also Pinterest to
    share photos and information about hundreds of pets displaced by the
    storms. Facebook especially became an invaluable tool in reuniting
    survivors with lost pets.
           social media trends in the emergency management community
        Social Media incorporates various activities such as adapting
    technology and social interface. This has proven vital to the world of
    emergency management. Social networking can improve interaction between
    State agencies and the public. As real-time information is communicated
    to the public, the need to maintain accurate facts increases in
    urgency. The concept of using social media to communicate with the
    public remains a new phenomenon for many in the emergency management
    community. The idea of using social media to aid in preparing for,
    responding to, and recovering from disasters, has caught the attention
    of many in this field. Despite the benefits and shortfalls, social
    media continues to develop into an accepted form of communication. It
    has changed the way information is communicated and examined with
    citizens and the public. Two major trends seem to be forming as social
    media takes hold in the emergency management community:
        1. Disseminating Information.--The first trend seen by emergency
    managers is the use of social media to convey information in or around
    an affected disaster area. The versatility of this method is
    recognized, yet it often lacks any guidelines to make an organized
    effort to reduce the amount of chaos after a disaster. With volumes of
    information potentially pouring into the EOC, important data can be
    overlooked. Reliability, coordination, and integration are three
    critical factors needed to determine how social media will be used from
    both a public-safety aspect and as an information-sharing tool. As far
    as information sharing is concerned, social media is in its maturity.
    From a public-safety standpoint, social media is in its infancy.
        2. Volunteer Mobilization.--Often after a disaster, volunteer work
    groups come in quickly to assist communities. Without a robust
    volunteer management system in place, the influx of personnel could
    become a management concern. Social media has been able to bridge the
    gap between the need for volunteers and the chaos which could occur in
    the absence of coordination. Although social media has reduced the
    amount of confusion that accompanies a disaster there are still many
    avenues to be explored. The emergency management community is still in
    the trial phase of using social media to assist in volunteer
    management.
        To help assess the value and use of social media in the emergency
    management community, NEMA joined with the Center for Naval Analysis
    (CNA) last year to conduct a survey. To date, much of the data on
    social media and emergency management has been limited to anecdotal
    accounts or studies, so the CNA-NEMA study provided valuable
    information into the use of social media in emergency management. State
    emergency management directors and their Public Information Officers
    (PIO) were closely engaged in the development, distribution, and
    completion of the survey. Key findings of the survey included:
        Familiarity with Social Media.--On average, respondents
            from State, county, and local levels of government all
            considered themselves at least ``moderately familiar'' with
            social media. Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube have become
            commonly associated with social media.
       Use of Social Media.--Of those surveyed, all State emergency
            management agencies use social media in some capacity, as do 68
            percent of county emergency management agencies and 85 percent
            of local response agencies. Of those surveyed, nearly all of
            the State emergency management agencies, half of the county
            emergency management agencies, and three-fifths of the local
            response agencies have used social media in response to a real-
            world event, primarily to push information out to the
            community. Over 90 percent of the events cited were from 2011
            or 2012, underscoring the recent adoption of social media.
       Determining Capabilities.--Respondents were asked to
            characterize their agency's social media capability along four
            dimensions:
        1. Governance.--Commitment and buy-in from senior leadership and
                political officials at the State level is more than double
                that at the county and local levels.
        2. Technology.--Technology used for other purposes in an agency is
                often used in an ad hoc fashion to support basic social
                media operations, such as posting status updates.
        3. Data/Analytics.--Data-extraction efforts at all levels are still
                reliant upon manual review, making monitoring efforts
                difficult to scale-up during large disasters.
        4. Processes.--Formally defined and tested processes and procedures
                lag behind social media use.
       Trust but Verify.--Of those surveyed 59 percent of State
            emergency management agencies, 55 percent of county emergency
            management agencies, and 41 percent of local response agencies
            trust social media less than traditional media sources. Nearly
            all respondents agree that, on receiving information from
            social media sources, their agency would attempt to verify this
            information.
       Barriers to Implementation.--Survey results indicate that
            the primary barrier to emergency management agencies' use of
            social media is a lack of dedicated personnel. While most
            respondents indicated that they would not necessarily look to
            the Federal Government to play a large role in supporting the
            development of their agency's social media capabilities, they
            identified prime areas for potential support, including grant
            funding, training on how social media could be used, and the
            provision of guidance and standards.
        As a result of this effort, the State PIOs developed work groups to
    examine the above findings. The work groups will:
        1. Develop best practices and goals for use of social media by
            State emergency managers to better target resources and funding
            towards implementation of social media;
        2. Develop and distribute a social media governing model that
            specifically addresses the public-safety responsibilities and
            the implications for emergency management and response
            entities;
        3. Create a template of standard operating procedures to manage
            social media information to more effectively integrate social
            media and public-sourced intelligence into emergency management
            information processes;
        4. Develop concepts for Virtual Operations Support Teams (VOST)
            that allows for rapid expansion of capabilities by leveraging
            trained and trusted personnel to respond both virtually via
            external monitoring and response and as teams with crucial
            skills for deployment to emergency operations center, and;
        5. The range of non-categorical issues raised in the report.
                                   conclusion
        Social media has begun to play an integral role in emergency
    preparedness, response, and recovery. By understanding the way social
    media complements emergency management services, the future use of it
    can greatly enhance emergency management capabilities. Social media and
    its role in emergency management will continue to evolve. As the
    emergency management community shifts to accept this new form of
    communication, many aspects will need to be considered. A familiarity
    with social media will need to be established, the capabilities that
    pertain to emergency management will need to be identified and
    explored, verification of information will be a requirement and it will
    be critical to break down any barriers to implementation. Although the
    emergency management community is still in the experimental stages of
    using social media to convey important messages as well as receive
    information from the public, it represents the wave of the future.
        Again, I thank you for the opportunity to testify today and I
    welcome any questions you may have for me.

        Mrs. Brooks. Thank you, Mr. Ashwood. It is not that hard.
        [Laughter.]
        Mrs. Brooks. Everyone can try it.
        I would like to just turn it over to the gentleman from
    California for additional comments.
        Mr. Swalwell. Thank you, Chairwoman.
        I am happy to introduce our final witness, Sergeant W. Greg
    Kierce. Sergeant Kierce is the director of Jersey City Office
    of Emergency Management and if I am not mistaken, that is in
    Mr. Payne's Congressional district.
        Sergeant Kierce is the director of Jersey City Office of
    Emergency Management and Homeland Security, and is responsible
    for planning and coordinating all facets of the city's
    emergency response to large-scale events impacting the city and
    the region.
        Over 29 years of law enforcement experience, he has
    received four Department Class A Commendations, eight Excellent
    Police Service awards, and a World Trade Center award, among
    many other honors.
        I know how much Ranking Member Payne appreciates Sergeant
    Kierce traveling down to Washington to testify today. I want to
    thank you for being here as well and look forward to your
    testimony.
        Mrs. Brooks. Thank you.
        The Chairwoman now recognizes Sergeant Kierce for 5
    minutes.

     STATEMENT OF W. GREG KIERCE, DIRECTOR, JERSEY CITY OFFICE OF
               EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND HOMELAND SECURITY

        Sergeant Kierce. Thank you, Congresswoman.
        Chairwoman Brooks and distinguished Members of the United
    States House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security,
    I wish to extend my sincere appreciation to Representative
    Donald Payne, Jr. for affording me the opportunity to appear
    before you today.
        As technology continues to evolve, emergency management
    organizations must adapt to new ways of responding to the media
    and public. The way people communicate and receive information
    has gone through a radical transformation in the last few years
    with the invention of social media.
        The potential applications of social media information for
    disaster managers include providing, evidence of pre-incident
    activity, near real-time notice of an incident occurring,
    first-hand reports of incident impacts, and gauging community
    response to an emergency warning.
        This information will contribute towards effective
    decisions for emergency responses. Yet to do this, emergency
    services organizations need a reliable way to identify and
    analyze emerging topics that indicate a significant disaster,
    emergency event, or unexpected incident is occurring within a
    given time frame and at a given location.
        The Federal Emergency Management Agency wrote in its 2013
    National Preparedness report that during and immediately
    following Hurricane Sandy, ``users sent more than 20 million
    Sandy-related Twitter posts, or `tweets,' despite the loss of
    cell phone service during the peak of the storm.''
        New Jersey's largest utility company, PSE&G, said at the
    subcommittee hearing that during Sandy they staffed up their
    Twitter feeds and used them to send word about the daily
    locations of their giant tents and generators.
        ``At one point during the storm, we sent so many tweets to
    alert customers, we exceeded the number of tweets allowed per
    day,'' PSE&G'S Jorge Jose Cardenas, vice president of Asset
    Management and Centralized Services, told the subcommittee.
        Following the Boston Marathon bombings, one-quarter of
    Americans reportedly looked to Facebook and Twitter and other
    social networking sites for information, according to The Pew
    Research Center.
        The sites also formed a key part of the information cycle
    when the Boston Police Department posted its final
    ``CAPTURED!!!'' tweet of the manhunt, more than 140,000 people
    retweeted it.
        Community members via a simple Google document offered
    strangers lodging, food, or a hot shower when roads and hotels
    were closed. Google also adapted its Person Finder from
    previous use with natural disasters.
        Emergency Responders are some of the biggest beneficiaries
    of social media. They also have to manage the challenges that
    these new networks present. Traditional lines of communications
    have been redrawn and social media has changed the singular
    authority that first responders require.
        As each disaster sparks its own complex web of fast-paced
    information exchange it can both improve disaster response and
    allow affected populations to take control of their situation
    as well as feel empowered.
        Drawing up an effective social media strategy and tweaking
    it to fit an emergency, however, is a crucial part of
    preparedness planning. As part of disaster preparedness it
    would be useful to teach the public how to use social media
    effectively, how to get information from the web, and also how
    to put out useful information.
        The challenge for first responders is how to integrate the
    directives that they formulate with the social media
    conversations impacted citizens are engaged in. Developing an
    informed public is the first step in getting both citizens and
    first responders working together.
        Applying social media tactics to corporate and Government
    crisis communication has several advantages.
        First, it brings credibility to your organization at a time
    when it is likely to be most needed. This occurs because the
    use of social media, including but not limited to blogging and
    podcasting, is inherently conversational and transparent
    allowing near real-time information to be disseminated to
    concerned citizens, employees, and the media.
        At the same time, it prompts discussion, debate, and
    feedback from the very people who most care about the crisis
    and who are more likely to shape the lasting perception of the
    incident once the immediacy dies down.
        Social media also guarantees your message will be heard.
    Because there are no press deadlines, no misinformed reporters,
    and no need for the use of information technology department,
    you can disseminate the information how you want to and as
    quickly as you want.
        Another benefit of social media is that it provides a
    unique and efficient way for crisis communicators to defend an
    organization's brand and reputation.
        For example, if a blog is speaking negatively about an
    organization or spreading false information, crisis
    communication can respond by posting counter remarks or linking
    to other blogs and on-line content that sets the record
    straight.
        Key points to consider as to the use of social media--you
    need to slow down the freight train that is coming at you. Use
    your social voice to let the public know you are aware of the
    situation, you are looking to find the answers, and you will be
    providing the facts as they become available. Putting the
    brakes on even a bit at time will slow the velocity.
        When the crisis hits, start setting up alerts and searches
    based on the information you have, and who is talking about it.
    Talk to your people and determine what is factual is and what
    is not. Here is the key to remember; if there is one ounce of
    truth to what has caused the crisis, then that is what is
    needed to focus on. Kill the rumors, provide the facts, and
    clarify the issues at play. This will remove the momentum.
        Tackle the issues head-on. This is not the time to try to
    spin the story or make excuses for what occurred. This is time
    for concrete facts and humility. ``We are sorry. We are human.
    We strive for better and you deserve better.''
        These are three sentences can suck the oxygen out of a
    fiery room and remove the fuel. Own the situation. Explain what
    was wrong, why it was wrong, and how you will prevent it from
    happening in the future. Once you do that, the worst that can
    happen is people will agree with you.
        Misinformation and competing directives can often come from
    unofficial sources and reach large numbers of people through
    viral distribution. On the other hand, social media allows
    first responders to communicate directly with citizens without
    having to rely on third parties like traditional media.
        A recent Red Cross survey asked 1,058 adults as to their
    use of social media sites in emergency situations. It found
    that if they needed help and couldn't reach 9-1-1, 1 in 5 would
    try to contact responders through a digital means such as
    email, websites, or social media.
        If web users knew of someone else who needed help, 44
    percent would ask other people in their social network to
    contact authorities, 35 percent would require post for help
    directly on response agency's Facebook page, and 28 percent
    would send a direct tweeter message to first responders.
        It is human nature to want to help people who need it. As
    social networks cut out the middle man in traditional media and
    put ordinary citizens in direct contact with those in emergency
    situations, the impulse to help is even stronger.
        As a result, people organize amongst themselves to solve
    problems. In some cases it is in concert with emergency
    professionals; however, in other situations it's not possible,
    and people act independently to issue help on the scene.
        Social media can help in both of these instances. The key
    to marshalling whatever help is available is to identify and
    prioritize needs that arise from the crisis and to track
    whether these needs are met.
        Because of the popularity of Facebook and Twitter, many
    help actions have begun on these networks but because they
    haven't been designed to do this kind of work; the utility is
    limited.
        One thing is clear, the public's use of social media in
    crises is growing. One of the many challenges this presents is
    the ability of first responders and governments to monitor the
    information and act on it in a timely manner.
        The advent of social media has revolutionized the ways
    people communicate and gather information about stories and
    topics that are important to them. This change has adversely
    affected the way public information officers must interact with
    the public and media during emergencies.
        By complementing your first emergency communication plan
    with social media techniques, your organization has a better
    chance of communicating messages, informing the public and
    media, and ultimately surviving a crisis situation.
        The first people to respond during a disaster are usually
    not trained responders or other professionals. Frequently, they
    are simply bystanders. The enormous potential of social media
    is to leverage this fact to turn bystanders into lifesavers.
        Also like to--New Technology; Mutualink Interoperability
    Communication Systems.
        Behind any collaborative and coordinated undertaking, there
    must be effective communications. There is a misconception that
    the Government can quickly and effectively respond in all
    incidents. In reality, a wide range of situations can occur in
    your community that requires varied degrees of response at
    different times of the situations.
        This is most often true in long-running or unfolding
    emergencies such as large natural or man-made disasters. In
    these situations, often the need for communications continuity
    across functions and sectors, such as communications among
    tactical, logistical, and public outreach, is often overlooked.
        This can hamper response, mitigation, and recovery efforts
    in many ways. This includes unnecessary traffic congestion or
    key transit points being blocked, medical, food, and shelter
    services being overwhelmed, and/or improperly located.
        During incidents many communications channels will reach
    peak capacity and alternate means of communications will be
    required to alleviate or supplement first-line communications
    resources.
        Enabling interoperable communications among disparate
    communications assets plays an important role in ensuring both
    seamless communication among different agencies and entities,
    regardless of the communications resources but also provides
    the needed flexibility to supplement availability and
    circumvent communications limitations when primary
    communications resources are unavailable.
        A wide variety of communications resources are available
    and used within our communities. These include a plethora of
    two-way radio systems, the public telephone system, mobile
    telephone, satellite, and broadband data working providing IP
    communications.
        Despite a decade of significant investments and concerted
    efforts, a pervasive National communication interoperability
    solution for emergency response has remained a bridge too far;
    at best, small pockets of interoperable communications ability
    existing among a few select agencies.
        With advanced and affordable interoperable communications
    resource sharing, these assets can be harnessed to provide a
    resilient and ubiquitous communications environment that will
    enable seamless communications across a multitude of partners,
    and provide critical communications paths with them.
        Developing----
        Mrs. Brooks. Sergeant, I need you to wrap up. Thank you.
        Sergeant Kierce. Thank you.
        Mrs. Brooks. Okay. Well, we just want to get to our
    questions. Any final comment?
        Sergeant Kierce. The final comment would be, Chairwoman, I
    just want to continue on this Mutualink, it will take just a
    couple of seconds.
        In 2009, for the first time, a public safety emergency
    response marine vessel was outfitted with an advanced
    multimedia interoperable emergency communications system that
    is currently in use in Jersey City.
        This vehicle was also pressed into service and during the
    historic flight on the Hudson and we were able to interoperate
    with--provide interoperable communications between all first
    responders and also provided real-time situational awareness
    video to the first hospitals and things of that nature.
        Thank you very much.
        [The prepared statement of Sergeant Kierce follows:]
                      Prepared Statement of W. Greg Kierce
                                  July 9, 2013
        Chairman McCaul and distinguished Members of the United States
    House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security I wish to
    extend my sincere appreciation to Representative Donald Payne, Jr. for
    affording me the opportunity to appear before you this morning.
        As technology continues to evolve, emergency management
    organizations must adapt to new ways of responding to the media and
    public. The way people communicate and receive information has gone
    through a radical transformation in the last few years with the
    invention of social media.
        The potential applications of social media information for disaster
    managers include providing:
       evidence of pre-incident activity;
       near real-time notice of an incident occurring;
       first-hand reports of incident impacts;
       gauging community response to an emergency warning.
        This information will contribute toward effective decisions for
    emergency responses. Yet to do this, emergency services organizations
    need a reliable way to identify and analyze emerging topics that
    indicate a significant disaster, emergency event, or unexpected
    incident is occurring within a given time frame and at a given
    location.
        The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) wrote in its 2013
    National Preparedness Report that during and immediately following
    Hurricane Sandy, ``users sent more than 20 million Sandy-related
    Twitter posts, or `tweets,' despite the loss of cell phone service
    during the peak of the storm.''
        New Jersey's largest utility company, PSE&G, said at the
    subcommittee hearing that during Sandy they staffed up their Twitter
    feeds and used them to send word about the daily locations of their
    giant tents and generators. ``At one point during the storm, we sent so
    many tweets to alert customers, we exceeded the [number] of tweets
    allowed per day,'' PSE&G'S Jorge Cardenas, vice president of asset
    management and centralized services, told the subcommittee.
        Following the Boston Marathon bombings, one-quarter of Americans
    reportedly looked to Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking
    sites for information, according to The Pew Research Center.
        The sites also formed a key part of the information cycle: When the
    Boston Police Department posted its final ``CAPTURED!!!'' tweet of the
    manhunt, more than 140,000 people re-tweeted it.
        Community members via a simple Google document offered strangers
    lodging, food, or a hot shower when roads and hotels were closed.
    Google also adapted its Person Finder from previous use with natural
    disasters.
        Emergency Responders are some of the biggest beneficiaries of
    social media, they also have to manage the challenges that these new
    networks present. Traditional lines of communication have been redrawn
    and social media has challenged the singular authority that First
    Responders require.
        As each disaster sparks its own complex web of fast-paced
    information exchange it can both improve disaster response and allow
    affected populations to take control of their situation as well as feel
    empowered.
        Drawing up an effective social media strategy and tweaking it to
    fit an emergency, however, is a crucial part of preparedness planning.
    As part of disaster preparedness it would be useful to teach the public
    how to use social media effectively, how to get information from the
    web and also how to put out useful information.
        The challenge for First Responders is how to integrate the
    directives that they formulate with the social media conversations
    impacted citizens are engaged in. Developing an informed public is the
    first step in getting both citizens and first responders working
    together.
        Applying social media tactics to corporate and Government crisis
    communication has several advantages.
        First, it brings credibility to your organization at a time when it
    is likely to be most needed. This occurs because the use of social
    media--including but not limited to blogging and podcasting--is
    inherently conversational and transparent allowing near real-time
    information to be disseminated to concerned citizens, employees, and
    the media. And at the same time, it prompts discussion, debate, and
    feedback from the very people who most care about the crisis and who
    are more likely to shape the lasting perception of the incident once
    the immediacy dies down.
        Social media also guarantees your message will be heard. Because
    there are no press deadlines, no misinformed reporters, and no need for
    the use of your Information Technology department, you can disseminate
    the information how you want and as quickly as you want.
        Another benefit of social media is that it provides a unique and
    efficient way for crisis communicators to defend an organization's
    brand and reputation. For example, if a blog is speaking negatively
    about an organization or spreading false information, crisis
    communicators can respond by posting counter remarks or linking to
    other blogs and on-line content that sets the record straight.
        Key points to consider as to the use of social media:
       You need to slow down the freight train that is coming at
            you. Use your social voice to let the public know you are aware
            of the situation, you are looking to find the answers, and you
            will be providing the facts as they become available. Putting
            the brakes on even a bit at a time will slow the velocity.
       When the crisis hits, start setting up alerts and searches
            based on the information you have, and who is talking about it.
            Talk to your people and determine what is factual and what is
            not. Here is the key to remember--if there is one ounce of
            truth to what has caused the crisis, then that is what you need
            to focus on. Kill the rumors by provide the facts and clarify
            the issues at play. This will remove the momentum.
       Tackle the issues head on. This is not the time to try to
            spin the story or make excuses for whatever has occurred. This
            is time for concrete facts and humility. ``We're sorry. We're
            human. We strive for better and you deserve better.'' These
            three sentences can suck the oxygen out of a fiery room and
            remove the fuel. Own the situation. Explain what was wrong, why
            it was wrong, and how you will prevent it from happening in the
            future. Once you do that, the worst that can happen is people
            agree with you.
       Misinformation and competing directives can often come from
            unofficial sources and reach large numbers of people through
            viral distribution. On the other hand, social media allows
            First Responders to communicate directly with citizens without
            having to rely on third parties like traditional media.
        A recent Red Cross survey asked 1,058 adults about their use of
    social media sites in emergency situations. It found that if they
    needed help and couldn't reach
    9-1-1, 1 in 5 would try to contact responders through a digital means
    such as e-mail, websites, or social media. If web users knew of someone
    else who needed help, 44 percent would ask other people in their social
    network to contact authorities, 35 percent would post a request for
    help directly on a response agency's Facebook page and 28 percent would
    send a direct Twitter message to responders.
        It is human nature to want to help people who need it. As social
    networks ``cut out the middle man'' in traditional media and put
    ordinary citizens in direct contact with those in emergency situations,
    this impulse to help is even stronger. As a result, people organize
    amongst themselves to solve problems. In some cases this is in concert
    with emergency professionals; however, in other situations it's not
    possible, and people act independently to issue help on the scene.
    Social media can help in both of these instances. The key to
    marshalling whatever help is available is to identify and prioritize
    needs that arise from the crisis and to track whether these needs are
    met. Because of the popularity of Facebook and Twitter, many help
    actions begin on these networks but because they haven't been designed
    to do this kind of work, their utility is limited.
        One thing is clear--the public's use of social media in crises is
    growing. One of the many challenges this presents is the ability of
    first responders and governments to monitor this information and act on
    it in a timely manner.
        The advent of social media has revolutionized the way people
    communicate and gather information about stories and topics that are
    important to them. This change has adversely affected the way public
    information officers must interact with the public and media during
    emergencies. By complementing your emergency communication plan with
    social media techniques, your organization has a better chance of
    communication messages, informing the public and media and ultimately
    surviving a crisis situation.
        The first people to respond during a disaster are not usually
    trained responders or other professionals--frequently, they are simply
    bystanders. The enormous potential of social media is to leverage this
    fact to turn bystanders into lifesavers.
         new technology: mutualink interoperable communications system
        Behind any collaborative and coordinated undertaking, there must be
    effective communications. There is a misconception that the Government
    can quickly and effectively respond in all incidents. In reality, a
    wide range of situations can occur in your community that requires
    varied degrees of response at different times of the situations.
        This is most often true in long-running or unfolding emergencies
    such as large natural and man-made disasters. In these situations,
    often the need for communications continuity across functions and
    sectors, such as communications among tactical, logistical, and public
    outreach, is often overlooked.
        This can hamper response, mitigation, and recovery efforts in many
    ways. This includes unnecessary traffic congestion or key transit
    points being blocked, medical, food, and shelter services being
    overwhelmed, and/or improperly located. During incidents many
    communications channels will reach peak capacity and alternate means of
    communication will be required to alleviate or supplement first-line
    communications resources.
        Enabling interoperable communications among disparate
    communications assets plays an important role in ensuring both seamless
    communications among different agencies and entities, regardless of
    their communications resources, but also provides the needed
    flexibility to supplement availability and circumvent communications
    limitations when primary communications resources are unavailable.
        A wide variety of communications resources are available and used
    within our communities. These include a plethora of two-way radio
    systems, the public telephone system, mobile telephone, satellite, and
    broadband data networks providing IP communications.
        Despite a decade of significant investments and concerted efforts,
    a pervasive National communication interoperability solutions for
    emergency response has remained a bridge too far with, at best, small
    pockets of interoperable communications ability existing among a few
    select agencies.
        With advanced and affordable interoperable communications resource
    sharing, these assets can be harnessed to provide a resilient and
    ubiquitous communications environment that will enable seamless
    communications across a multitude of partners, and provide critical
    communications paths among them.
        Developing partnerships, engaging in planning and practice, and
    utilizing new and affordable communications bridging technology to
    facilitate communications among partners is essential to modern-day
    emergency preparedness and response best practices.
        The Mutualink Interop Network is a ground-breaking method of
    connectivity. The network operates in a peer-to-peer environment that
    can be accessed via dedicated or virtual connections. The plug-and-play
    structure of the network eliminates complex and expensive
    configurations.
        Entities joining the Mutualink Interops Network are ``automatically
    discovered'' by all existing network participants make the
    determination whether to include new Mutualink subscribers in their
    visible list of network peers. Additionally, network participants can
    search the directory by geography and entity type developing
    communities of similar agencies.
        Communications on the secure Mutualink Network are end-to-end
    encrypted using Federally-approved AES ciphers and are mutually
    authenticated using standard-based public-key cryptography.
        An Interoperability WorkStation serves two primary functions: It is
    the point of communication between two entities on the network for
    voice, text, and sharing data files; it is also the control point by
    which resources may be contributed to the incidents.
        The Interoperability WorkStation (IWS) allows users to communicate
    in several distinct methods:
       Intercom allows communications between Interoperability
            Workstations during an incident.
       Transmit broadcasts to radio and other resources
            participating in incidents and IWS users can text messages and
            share video feeds and data files with other incident
            participants.
        Additionally, portable configurations of the Interoperability
    WorkStation can be moved, at any time to pre-determined destinations
    with qualified broadband access, providing users with back-up dispatch
    capabilities.
        It is a well-established fact that most of the NYC police and fire
    department first responders at the World Trade Center in the immediate
    aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks had virtually no ability to
    communicate with each other. That utter lack of ``interoperability''
    has been enshrined in the history books as one of the monumental
    shortcomings of that tragic day.
        It is far less known that almost 8 years later, on the day that
    Captain Chesley Sullenberger brought his Airbus A320 airliner down
    safely in what has since been dubbed ``The Miracle on the Hudson,''
    that many of the police, fire, and emergency services agencies on the
    New Jersey side of the Hudson River--as well as many of the nearby New
    Jersey hospitals--were able to benefit from a remarkable degree of
    communications interoperability.
        At the request of the New Jersey State Police OEM the Jersey City
    OEM Homeland Security Mobile Command/Communications vehicle equipped
    with the Mutualink Interoperability system was dispatched that day to
    Weehawken, NJ.
        On-board cameras connected thru the Mutualink system focused on the
    floating, crippled aircraft, where they were able to capture video
    images of the stunned passengers, and share those images in real-time
    with area hospitals, emergency rooms, other public safety agencies and
    local command centers.
        In October 2009 for the first time, a public safety emergency
    response marine vessel was outfitted with an advanced multimedia
    interoperable emergency communications platform enabling seamless
    communications, and video and information sharing among agencies both
    in the water and on the ground.
        The system, developed by Mutualink, allows real-time coordination
    during incident response by enabling communications between
    incompatible two-way and push-to-talk radios, telephone PBX systems,
    and mobile telephones, along with the ability to share and view live
    feeds from video camera networks traditionally not accessible by remote
    parties. Following 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, attaining
    interoperability between technologies that are normally incompatible
    with each other to improve response has been a Federal priority.
        The state-of-the-art boat dedicated in the honor of fallen police
    officer Marc Dinardo was acquired by the Jersey City Office of
    Emergency Management/Homeland Security thru Department of Homeland
    Security (DHS) Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) funds and is
    operated by the Jersey City Police Emergency Services Unit. It patrols
    the same Hudson River waters where US Airways Flight 1549 made a
    successful water landing and supplements maritime assets of the NYPD,
    NJSP, and the U.S. Coast Guard.
        In 2012 a Bomb Command vehicle was purchased for the Jersey City
    Police Emergency Services Unit thru DHS UASI funding and this to was
    outfitted with a Mutualink system. As was the case with the marine
    vessel, Mutualink designed a special application providing connectivity
    to the on-board bomb robot enabling bomb technicians to share video
    with counterparts throughout the country greatly enhancing information-
    sharing capabilities.
        Mutualink CEO Mark Hatten credits the success of the project to
    Jersey City's progressive leadership and commitment in the area of
    homeland security and emergency preparedness. ``Jersey City has been at
    the forefront of interoperable emergency communications and from the
    beginning it has been a guiding force in helping us shape a solution
    that meets the rigors and needs of responders and personnel in real
    situations. The maritime interoperable communications deployment
    directly results from Jersey City's vision of enabling unified
    communications capabilities across all environments,'' stated Hatten.
        Previous projects with Jersey City included the installation of
    Mutualink into their mobile command vehicle, the first to operate over
    a wireless data connection, as well as into their Emergency Operations
    Center. Hatten added, ``When Jersey City came to us with the idea of
    doing a marine deployment, we saw it as a great opportunity for both
    sides to work together and make it a reality.'' Mutualink developed a
    hardened interoperable work station that can be used not only in harsh
    maritime environments experienced by tactical and response boats, but
    also in other severe land-based environments.
        The successful deployment into a marine environment required
    Mutualink to engineer a new piece of hardware capable of operating in
    extreme environmental conditions. A new Interoperability Work Station
    (IWS) was developed within an IP67-rated waterproof enclosure requiring
    no outside ventilation for cooling and flash drive technology was
    incorporated to handle the excessive vibrations and pounding a boat
    typically experiences on the water at high speeds. A Furuno 17'' LCD
    screen displays the Mutualink software and video while communication
    audio is capable of coming over an amplified speaker system or a
    privacy handset. Data connectivity is accomplished using a
    FiretideTM wireless mesh network with antennas directed out
    over the water carrying the encrypted data back to land where it then
    rides Jersey City's fiber network. Mutualink can also operate in a
    mobile environment over satellite and cellular data networks.
        Mutualink has significantly enhanced our capabilities to react and
    respond internally but also our ability to interoperate with any other
    agency on the network including many of our neighbors and critical
    assets in the private sector to include:
       Newport Shopping Mall (Directly connected to inter-state
            (PATH) and inter-county transit (Hudson Bergen Light Rail)
            systems).
       New Jersey City University, Saint Peters University.
       Jersey City Public School System (Sixteen facilities with
            approximately 35 thousand students).
       Jersey City Medical Center (Level 2 trauma center).
       Christ Hospital.
       Jersey City 9-1-1 Emergency Communications Center.
       Port Authority of NY/NJ Police Communications Desk.
       Goldman Sachs (Jersey City Gold Coast Financial area).
       Le Frak organization (Largest property owner of residential
            and commercial properties located in the Hudson River Newport
            area).
       Mack-Cali properties.
        This is all accomplished using the same communications
    infrastructure we already have in place. Newark, Paramus, Trenton, and
    Atlantic City are just some of the New Jersey cities already using the
    Mutualink system along with 22 area hospitals in northern New Jersey
    which can now interoperate via dispatcher, radio, video, and text
    messaging.
        Enhanced communications continue to be of vital importance for
    effective response to disasters. Lack of communications directly
    contributes to low levels of situational awareness for both high-level
    commanders and emergency responders in the field.
        When all lines of contact are down, effective response to disaster
    is greatly diminished. Establishing and maintaining lines of direct
    contact between decision makers, formal and informal responders,
    Government officials, and the public is a primary objective in any
    emergency planning or response scenario.
        A continuing reexamination of providing emergency communications is
    critical for lessening their impacts of future disasters. Utilizing
    advances in technology that allow for higher degrees of mobility for
    communications systems introduces a new level of flexibility for
    operational command structures.
        In closing, I would like to once again express my sincere gratitude
    for affording me this opportunity to appear before you today.

        Mrs. Brooks. Thank you, Sergeant.
        At this time, I would like to recognize myself for 5
    minutes of questions.
        I think it is clear from what we have heard that social
    media and the use and the dependence by the public, it is
    obvious, and so I think a critical issue, I am going to start
    out with you Mr. Ashwood, because you obviously talked about
    what happened in Oklahoma and our thoughts and our prayers are
    with those who are now recovering, and I know it is going to
    take a long time to recover from such devastating tornadoes.
    You talked about how social media was relied upon and was used
    in Oklahoma.
        What my concern is, and from my time with talking with
    first responders in Indiana, is how are the personnel in your
    agencies--whether it is in Oklahoma or on behalf of NEMA--you
    are representing, you know, National emergency managers--what
    kind of training are people receiving on the use of social
    media either from Federal Government sources such as FEMA or
    from any other source?
        What kind of training do people have, because when I think
    as I mentioned before the hearing began at a conference where I
    recently spoke to several hundred personnel from Indiana
    focused on emergency management--when I talked about social
    media, everyone was quite nervous. I could tell that people are
    very nervous about their lack of preparedness, their lack of
    abilities, and so what are we doing with respect to training?
        Mr. Ashwood. Well, I think it is important to say that of
    course social media is an evolutionary process that we are
    going through right now. It is not just Twitter and Facebook,
    it is what it might be 10 days from now or 5 years from now,
    and we need to make sure that we stay as close to the curve as
    possible and a lot of that has to do with the training and what
    exactly we offer and what exactly we take.
        The opportunities are there. FEMA does a good job of making
    opportunities available for social media training as well as
    other entities. Our staff in Oklahoma has taken training, but
    more importantly, we have distributed the training to our local
    emergency managers. We have done that through our public
    information officers' course.
        We have also done that through a homeland security course
    that is offered through FEMA that we have utilized as well. So
    getting it down to the very lowest levels to me is more
    important than what even we have at the State level.
        We need to make sure that the grassroots effort of knowing
    that social media is there and it is part of our existence and
    that it is part of our response and recovery efforts from this
    point forward is more important than exactly what my staff has
    even right now that they will also get it as well.
        I know that is going to be different from State to State. I
    can only speak on Oklahoma with this issue, but the
    opportunities are there is what I will say. Whether or not they
    are taken advantage of, it depends on each State.
        Mrs. Brooks. Thank you.
        I would like to--I have a question for FEMA, for Mr.
    Adamski.
        One of the things that we learned not only in the survey,
    but from our hearing, at the last hearing we had on social
    media with the private sector was that the data extraction
    efforts at all levels are reliant upon a manual review often
    making monitoring efforts difficult to scale up during large
    disasters.
        We know that Red Cross has their digital operation center
    to help monitor the high volume of social media posts, but we
    heard from Google and Palantir and other companies that there
    is software support to help the first-responder communities and
    nonprofit organizations collect and analyze this information.
        How is FEMA using these analytical tools to help sift
    through all of the data? How are you partnering with the
    private-sector companies to take the tools that they are
    creating? How is FEMA using this in this effort and then
    pushing it out to the State and locals?
        Mr. Adamski. Absolutely. Thank you, Madam Chairwoman, for
    the question.
        For the last couple of years, we have been doing it
    manually, which I believe is a tip to our hat in the fact that
    we have staff who are trained and who are doing that human
    analysis.
        To your point about the volume of data and scaling it, that
    is why, we are, when we have recently been looking at tools
    where we can automate the analysis, when we do social listening
    similar to what the Red Cross does. So we can look for those
    trends as well as to improve and increase our operational
    efficiencies as well.
        So we do training with both our headquarters staff as well
    as our regional staff as well, who are digital communication
    specialists and they share those lessons learned and share best
    practices with their State counterparts and with all of their
    counterparts across all levels of Government as well and we
    also share best practices with international counterparts as
    well.
        So it is looking at how we can now learn from previous
    disasters as well as our relationships with the private sector
    of how we can utilize their tools if there are new trends and
    that are out there as well as looking at articles and best
    practices that anybody out in the private sector is using with
    regard to the tools to provide good customer service and
    stakeholder outreach.
        Mrs. Brooks. How large is FEMA's digital engagement team
    and what kind of training actually since so many rely on FEMA,
    to then create the training and push it out, can you share with
    us just very briefly?
        Mr. Adamski. Absolutely. It is about 20 people. That
    includes both headquarters staff, regional staff who are in our
    regional offices, as well as our joint field offices. So the
    digital communication staff have regular interactions with
    their counterparts both--in the digital presence or on digital
    and social media as well as all communication channels sharing
    those best practices with their counterparts and answering
    questions.
        Mrs. Brooks. Thank you.
        I now turn it over to the gentleman from California for any
    questions.
        Mr. Swalwell. Thank you. I wanted to start with Mr.
    Adamski.
        At the last hearing we heard from private-sector witnesses
    that although social media has allowed us to make great strides
    in how we respond to disasters or emergencies, the lack of
    uniform open-source data standards hindered the abilities of
    companies like Google to develop social media tools during
    disasters.
        Can you elaborate a little bit on what exactly they are
    talking about and what you are doing and efforts that FEMA is
    taking to address this?
        Mr. Adamski. Absolutely. I appreciate the question.
        With regard to open standards and common alerting
    protocols, as the representative from Google had referenced,
    that is one thing as they are saying that National Weather
    Service is taking advantage of.
        That is one thing that we are looking at. How can we
    improve and do a better job of providing our information out
    there to their points so anybody can go out there and use it,
    it is not customized to one audience or one technology? It is
    platform agnostic.
        Mr. Swalwell. Just as an example, this would mean say FEMA
    puts like a PDF or something on its website, that would not be
    able to transfer to all of the other types of operating formats
    that Google or other social media sites have. Is that as you
    understood it?
        Mr. Adamski. Correct, because it is static. It is not
    dynamic. It can't be read by other machines and any time you
    use human intervention, then you are actually, to their point,
    you are actually creating more time to work on it.
        Mr. Swalwell. In your testimony, you discussed FEMA's
    efforts to stop the spread of misinformation through its rumor-
    control website, and to me this sounds a lot like a website I
    use called Snopes. Are you familiar with Snopes?
        My dad will send me crazy emails. I am like, ``Dad, just go
    to Snopes. This is not true. It will debunk it.''
        Can you talk a little bit about the rumor control and how
    you are sharing these best practices with local governments so
    that they can employ this as well?
        Mr. Adamski. Absolutely. The one thing that we saw from
    Sandy because we did social listening, we saw there was a huge
    number of false information and false rumors that were out
    there.
        So we wanted to be able to, on all of our digital
    platforms, correct that information as well as let our partners
    be force multipliers and point--and if they heard that rumor
    whether 6 hours later or 2 days later, because we did see that
    the same rumors kept rearing their heads back up.
        So using our stakeholders to be force multipliers we found
    to be very successful. We do find that after every disaster
    there are sometimes rumors or misinformation as part of normal
    course.
        Not necessarily to the scale of what we saw with Hurricane
    Sandy, but after even the Oklahoma tornadoes, we created a
    small page to help correct any misinformation about disaster
    services, programs, and things like that.
        That is another piece of information when our regional
    staff as well as headquarters staff are interacting we talk
    about those best practices and how can they be utilized and why
    and how social listening is important.
        Mr. Swalwell. Great.
        Ms. DeFrancis, going back to the digital divide, can you
    describe what efforts the Red Cross is taking to ensure that
    traditional forms of communication are preserved as social
    media is still being integrated into disaster response?
        Ms. DeFrancis. Sure. Thank you for that question. As I
    mentioned, TV, radio, and on-line websites are still the place
    that most people go to get their information. So we make sure
    that we have a very strong presence on all of those operations.
        We have an advanced public affairs team that goes to the
    site of every disaster to communicate information to the
    public. We are getting out in advance of a, you know, a
    disaster we know is coming, we are putting out information in
    advance about how to prepare through all those traditional
    means.
        So we feel very strongly that--in fact, I remember during
    Sandy, we knew we were getting through to a community when they
    were tired of hearing our bullhorn coming through the streets,
    but we feel very strongly that we need to continue to employ
    those traditional means of conditions----
        Mr. Swalwell. All of the above of course.
        Ms. DeFrancis [continuing]. Recognized. Yes.
        Mr. Swalwell. Great.
        Finally, Sergeant Kierce, I wanted to talk a little bit
    about the Urban Area Security Initiative grant also known as
    UASI. We have in our district, the Alameda County Sheriff's
    Office, they put on what is called Urban Shield; it is a
    training exercise that actually, the Boston Police Department
    attended and then they put on their own Urban Shield to train
    first responders and evaluate how they respond to terrorist
    situations like a mass transit casualty situation, and I am
    wondering how have programs like that Homeland Security Grant
    program helped Jersey City achieve the interoperability
    capabilities that you have talked about?
        Sergeant Kierce. Well, Congressman, basically with the
    Urban Area Security Initiative, Jersey City and Newark are the
    two main cities that make up the Jersey City/Newark UASI with
    the 7 contiguous counties.
        As I started to get into the program Mutualink, it allowed
    two things. It established interoperability between all of the
    different agencies that respond to events both in Jersey City
    and Hudson County and for the entire region.
        It also allowed us to share or establish a private-sector
    information-sharing platform where the Jersey City waterfront
    houses many of the large financial entities that obviously are
    involved in global economy, and we always had reason to have to
    get information to them as quickly as possible because of
    anything that could impact them.
        What we have done through the UASI dollars has been able to
    embrace a program where we can actually bring these folks in
    and you are dealing with real-time situational awareness,
    receiving information once it is vetted with us for accuracy,
    and it helps them actually, you know, perform their business,
    but without this UASI dollars, none of this would have been
    possible.
        Mr. Swalwell. Great. Thank you, Sergeant Kierce.
        Thank you, Chairwoman.
        Mrs. Brooks. The Chairwoman will now recognize other
    Members of the subcommittee for questions they may wish to ask
    of the witnesses, and in accordance with our committee rules
    and practice, I plan to recognize Members who were present at
    the start of the hearing by seniority on the subcommittee and
    those coming in later will be recognized in order of arrival.
        So at this time, I would recognize the gentleman from
    Mississippi, Mr. Palazzo for 5 minutes.
        Mr. Palazzo. Thank you, Chairwoman Brooks, and thank you
    for holding this timely, relevant, and extremely important
    hearing especially because we are only 39 days into hurricane
    season.
        In Part I of this hearing a couple of months ago, I
    highlighted the fact that when Hurricane Katrina devastated my
    district in the Gulf Coast in 2005, Facebook was still an
    infant relatively speaking, Twitter was nonexistent, and the
    first iPhone wouldn't come out for almost a year later.
        I also highlighted the use of social media during Hurricane
    Sandy where millions of people went to social media, shared
    information, watched live Twitter feeds, and checked up on
    loved ones.
        But despite the explosion of social media used during
    disasters, many people don't know where to go for credible
    information. Although most of it--if not, almost most--excuse
    me--although most, if not all States have emergency agencies
    and they have Twitter handles, their followers pale in
    comparison to the actual population of each State.
        For example, Mississippi has a population of 3 million, but
    the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency only has 8,000
    followers on its Twitter page. New Jersey has 13,000 followers
    despite 9 million citizens. The State of New York has 19
    million residents, but its emergency management Twitter handle
    only has 64,000 followers.
        These State agencies constantly provide disaster warnings,
    preparation tips, and critical information, yet only a fraction
    of Americans directly follow their social media pages.
        This morning, I tweeted links to the social media pages of
    Mississippi's Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, the Red Cross,
    and the Mississippi Department of Transportation. I encourage
    all of my colleagues on this committee and in Congress to do
    the same and encourage their constituents to follow their own
    State emergency management agency's social media page.
        By tweeting this information, our constituents can know
    where to go for on-line information before, during, and after a
    disaster strikes and won't have to make judgment calls as to
    whether the information they are getting is credible.
        So this leads to my question. How can FEMA, State agencies,
    and Red Cross quickly and better develop a large on-line
    presence that people will instinctively know where to go for
    credible information?
        Ladies first.
        Ms. DeFrancis.
        Ms. DeFrancis. Thank you, Congressman.
        Well, we have been working at it for a while. I mean, we
    just, I think last week, we passed our 1 millionth Twitter
    follower, which we were very proud of, and we have about over
    half a million on Facebook, and of course we are on a lot of
    the other platforms.
        If I could just recognize in the room is Wendy Harman who
    helped build our social strategy at the Red Cross and now she
    is moving into our disaster operations team to help integrate
    this information because it is great to have Twitter followers,
    it is great to have Facebook, but it is when you want to get
    their information to people that can actually help them, get
    them meals--that is what we need to do is really integrate it
    better.
        So we continue to build that presence and cross, so I mean
    when we are giving a TV interview, we are telling people, you
    know, to go check our Twitter site. We are trying to cross-
    reference all of that and they are all part of I think a really
    seamless 21st-Century communications shop.
        I think the other thing we would say is that we are trying
    to push social media out of just the public affairs shop. It
    should be really part of all of our operations, whether it is
    our blood centers, our, you know, our disaster people of
    course, our health and safety, everyone in a--who is a subject
    matter expert in a particular area of the Red Cross should be
    able to use social media. It shouldn't just be handled by the
    public affairs people. We call that making it part of our
    operational DNA.
        Mr. Palazzo. Thank you.
        Mr. Adamski.
        Mr. Adamski. No, I appreciate the question. It is a
    question that we get an awful lot because the public doesn't
    also--they don't realize that FEMA as a Government agency or
    even on Twitter, to your point.
        So just like any organization in the private sector who
    needs to do outreach education, we have to do that for
    ourselves as well as we help with amplifying local and State
    messages as well as accounts to your point as well, as well as
    Red Cross and local Red Cross chapters, to help get that
    information out there and help share to be a force multiplier
    for our partners across all levels of Government.
        The other piece where we try and enforce it with outreach
    is on the preparedness side of making sure that folks have a
    digital plan, that they know about those resources ahead of
    time.
        The other thing I will note real quickly as well is the
    wireless emergency alerts which is a new tool that is out there
    is it allows folks who have a newer phone to receive alerts in
    an area where a local emergency manager would send out that
    alert.
        So the great thing about it is that you don't need to
    subscribe or even know about it.
        The one thing we are doing is educating folks on what those
    alerts mean and that they should follow those local warnings
    from local officials because the reason that they are pushing
    that message out is because there is an imminent threat or
    possibility for severe weather for example.
        So it is constant education and amplification of all of our
    partners' messages and accounts.
        Mr. Palazzo. Well, thank you. If the Chairwoman would
    indulge me for one more second, this past week we had some
    severe weather in our district and my phone started alerting
    me.
        I didn't even know Verizon had an alert messaging system.
    So those things are really handy and the fact that everybody
    has some form of mobile device and have become quite dependent
    upon it I think is extremely important.
        But also I always want to thank our first responders--I am
    definitely tongue-tied today--our emergency operation
    personnel, our National Guard members, our Salvation Army, our
    Red Cross.
        If people don't think that they go into harm's way, I just
    want to share a photo from February 10, 2013. We had an E4
    tornado in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It was large. It was
    violent. That is one of the disaster relief trucks of the
    American Red Cross.
        So we thank you and we depend on you before, during, and
    after a storm.
        Thank you very much.
        Mrs. Brooks. Thank you, Mr. Palazzo, well said.
        I would now like to recognize the gentleman from
    Pennsylvania, Mr. Perry, for 5 minutes.
        Mr. Perry. Thank you, Madam Chairwoman.
        This question essentially goes to Mr. Adamski, at least
    initially.
        I believe that Twitter has been and is a very effective
    tool in relaying information during emergency situations.
    Unfortunately--I know we have heard a lot of good news stories
    today, but I think we are charged with kind-of looking at every
    facet, so unfortunately, following the Boston bombings, there
    were several tweets containing damaging or potentially damaging
    misinformation.
        For example, there was an explosion at the JFK Library in
    Boston which was connected to the original blasts or a Saudi
    Arabian national has been arrested over the bombing or a Muslim
    with shrapnel wounds is being guarded in a hospital as a person
    of interest or blood donors are needed now, people need to go
    and give blood now.
        With individuals allowed to tweet and post any information
    they choose, how do we guard against the spread of
    misinformation that can prove detrimental to the safety of
    first responders and victims and--I understand that you have
    the rumor page, but then it leads to another question as well,
    is what is the job, what is the role of Federal agencies and
    what is the role of the private sector and where do we draw the
    line and when we figure that out, and how do we figure that out
    in this quickly-evolving arena?
        Mr. Adamski. Absolutely. I appreciate the question.
        As you know, in our role at FEMA, we coordinate emergency
    response to disasters as well as support all levels of
    government. With regard--you are correct with regard to social
    media as far as there being the bad actors out there which is
    why it is even more important to make sure that agencies are
    doing a social listening.
        Misinformation can come in through other communication
    mediums as well, whether it is news reports, whether it is 9-1-
    1. I often like to use the analogy that folks can call 9-1-1
    and call in a false report. Obviously, there are mechanisms in
    place to be able to root those out and figure out if it is a
    false report and whatnot. So even though social media is new,
    they are still going to be bad actors but there are also bad
    actors in other communication mediums as well.
        With regard to FEMA and the social listening that we do, we
    do it within the scope of our mission of disasters and
    emergency management and to the extent where we can help our
    Government partners across the board we will.
        I know often our regions will reach out to their State
    counterparts if there is a disaster in their State and ask them
    if they need any assistance with social listening for example.
        Or at least--and if they don't at that time, at least they
    know that that is a service that our digital communications
    specialists can help with as we help support our States in that
    nature, but again, we are looking at it through the lens of
    disasters and emergency management.
        To your point, it is important across all sectors that
    because that information and that conversation is occurring,
    that folks do participate in social listening.
        Mr. Perry. You know, social listening, it is a term that
    has been bandied about here and I don't know that it is in most
    people's lives, but, you know, it leads, at least for me, it
    leads to other questions.
        At the least in late of events occurring in the Federal
    Government recently regarding the IRS or what-have-you and you
    think about applications like Google's People Finder or social
    listening in particular and even the alert that the gentleman
    for Mississippi got on his phone and I am wondering if, you
    know, do people know?
        Is this mostly--did you know that you have the application?
    Do you want the application? What about HIPAA violations? You
    know, somebody tweets that their grandmother's X and sends it
    to Ms. DeFrancis at the Red Cross or something like that. Are
    there HIPAA violation concerns?
        How--you know, I am not home right now because of my home
    has just been half obliterated and I am down at the neighbors
    and then the looter at the next town says, ``Okay, well that is
    my next target.'' I mean, how do we handle those things?
        Mr. Adamski. No, absolutely. I think the public using any
    social communication tool needs to be cognizant and aware that
    if they are posting information in real time or if they are
    posting personally identifiable information that anybody can
    see that.
        Even if their account is locked we recommend that they
    don't post that information to your point that it is personally
    identifiable information.
        If we do see somebody who either sends us an email or
    tweets at us or sends us a fake Facebook post and they have
    that information in there that can personally identify them
    then we will respond back asking them not to continue using
    those communication mediums but we will give them a way to
    where--an off-line way--to where we can communicate with them
    as it fits into our normal operation so then they can feel
    secure that their information won't be shared and that we won't
    be sharing their information with--in the public space. So to
    your point that others won't be able to see it.
        Mr. Perry. Finally, in your interaction with your partners,
    whether it is Twitter or whether it is Google, what have you,
    is there ever any concern at least from their part expressed to
    you about agencies like FEMA or other Government agencies
    competing in a way and their domains and their intellectual
    properties in these applications and so on and so forth?
        I mean, I know you are trying to be proactive and we
    applaud you for that, but I think we need to make sure that we
    are moving with diligence in that regard. I just wonder if that
    has ever been an issue that you have discussed.
        Mr. Adamski. They haven't, no, they haven't raised the
    concern. To your point about we are being diligent in how we
    use the tool to make sure that we aren't sharing PII
    information, personally identifiable information. Absolutely.
        Mr. Perry. Thank you.
        Thank you, Madam Chairwoman.
        Mrs. Brooks. Thank you.
        Question for Ms. DeFrancis.
        I just want to--you talked about volunteers around the
    globe actually assisting with you and we had a weekly SMEM chat
    on Twitter and we learned that virtual operation support teams
    are volunteer teams that lend support via the internet to
    emergency managers and first responders who are overwhelmed by
    the volume of data that you might get created after a disaster.
        Has Red Cross--is that the type of team that you are
    referring to? Have they leveraged these virtual operation
    support teams for your disaster relief efforts? How were they
    used? I am curious how they were used, and then I would like
    the others to answer as well.
        Ms. DeFrancis. Sure. Well, many of the individuals on the
    VOS, virtual operations teams, are also Red Cross digital
    volunteers. So these are people who have an interest in helping
    during a time of disaster to help organizations get out the
    information they need as broadly as they can.
        So while we have not use VOS specifically and they are best
    at spotting trends and things like that, we have many of our
    digital volunteers are also members of that and we train our
    volunteers in Red Cross-specific answers. They are not just
    spotting trends. There are also able to say you need to go here
    for shelter. You need to go here for food and water.
        So we do have a training program to enable us to do that
    and be able to scale up. I think that it is an important--you
    know, you don't keep a big staff. We have like three in our
    National headquarters. Our chapters all are tweeting as well
    and posting on Facebook, but you can't keep a big staff all the
    time.
        You need to have a way to scale up because we go from 4- or
    5,000 mentions a day to, you know, tens of thousands of
    mentions a day during a disaster and certainly people like this
    who can help us scale that up are vital to doing it.
        Mrs. Brooks. So approximately how many digital volunteers
    does Red Cross have?
        Ms. DeFrancis. I think during Sandy we used 50 of them and
    that was probably the, you know, the maximum. Like I said, many
    of our people in our chapters are tweeting and so we have over
    300 chapters who are probably engaged. So it is hard, but I
    would say 50 about now in digital--trained, digital volunteers.
        Mrs. Brooks. Mr. Ashwood, any comments on your virtual
    operations volunteers?
        Mr. Ashwood. While we have not used the VOS acronym, it has
    been part of our operations plan from many years back that we
    bring in public information officers from other State agencies
    that all move into our operation center as an assist during
    times of disaster.
        Of course, a lot of those now are being transitioned over
    to the technological side to take them to Facebook, to take
    them to Twitter, to help us with that messaging, and make sure
    that we do get the accurate messages out there or correct those
    messages that are inaccurate.
        I think the bigger question here is what we do in times of
    non-disaster. How do we resource to that need, that
    communications need, because I can promise you any disaster if
    you do a hot watch and after-action, No. 1, the issue is going
    to be communications, and information is the silver bullet that
    takes care of disaster victims afterwards.
        If they have the proper information, they can make the
    proper decisions for themselves and their family. So we have to
    constantly strive to resource to that need during non-disaster
    times. The question earlier about why don't people follow us
    more during non-disaster times--we are not saying anything very
    interesting most of the time.
        We need to make sure that we are well-engaged not just from
    an ancillary position here but to make sure that we are there.
    Part of that new communication, that new messaging from Day 1,
    whether it were during a disaster or not, and I think that is
    the key to marketing the whole thing.
        Mrs. Brooks. Thank you.
        Sergeant Kierce, during the Hurricane Sandy episode and the
    different--I am sure you dealt with a huge number of public
    safety agencies in New York and New Jersey--do you know whether
    or not they used digital volunteers and have these virtual
    operation support teams?
        Sergeant Kierce. I think one of the challenges that we
    face, Chairwoman, was the fact that both Jersey City and New
    York had significant power outages in addition to loss of
    Verizon cellular connectivity and things of that nature.
        In Jersey City in particular, we have a very large senior
    citizen population so what we are doing now through our
    community emergency response team training, we are kind of
    embracing a scenario where we can as we train these teams, you
    know, as our volunteers throughout the city to give them basic
    training.
        As the gentleman to my right had said too I think it has to
    be more of a non-emergency, more friendly-type use scenario
    because folks seem to if they don't really use it enough, they
    tend not to really--forget how to use it or don't want to use
    it.
        So it is kind of a challenge that we all face. On my side,
    I have three daughters and I learned that if you didn't speak
    on Facebook they wouldn't speak to you. So I learned how to use
    it pretty quickly.
        Mrs. Brooks. I understand. I have the same dilemma in my
    household. So thank you very much.
        I will turn it over to the gentleman from California for
    any further questions.
        Mr. Swalwell. Sure, thank you.
        I wanted to go back to Mr. Adamski. As far as the efforts
    that FEMA is taking right now to work on open-source formats,
    what exactly, specifically have you done so far and what can we
    expect in the next say 6 months to a year?
        Mr. Adamski. I appreciate the question. So as I mentioned
    in my verbal remarks and in my submitted testimony, we do have
    the disaster recovery center data feed which is a useful tool
    where folks can go and grab that information.
        With regard to what we are currently working on, it is
    looking at the actual data itself and cleansing the data to
    make sure it is actually good data as well as looking at the
    infrastructure to be able to support, to be able to push that
    information out to users.
        I can't give--at this time, I can't give necessarily a time
    frame, but we have multiple folks in multiple program offices
    at FEMA looking at it and how it impacts each of their areas
    and how we can get that information out.
        So it is not a--so we are not--the conversations aren't why
    should we do it, it is how do we get it done?
        Mr. Swalwell. Is there a goal to have all of the data that
    FEMA puts out in a open-source format that can be accessed by
    all?
        Mr. Adamski. I would say it depends on the data. Obviously,
    we wouldn't be releasing to--we wouldn't be releasing obviously
    personally identifiable information to the public or things
    like that, but if it is either--if it is data from disasters
    where it is not necessarily tied to an individual, then we will
    look at that as well as if there are other resource information
    that we can provide, safety tips as well so others can go and
    grab it, take that and then put it into their products, their
    websites, so the public doesn't necessarily need to come to a
    FEMA product, they can actually get that information, to your
    point, wherever they are going through their normal course and
    we can use our partners to be force multipliers that way.
        Mr. Swalwell. Great.
        This question is for Mr. Ashwood and Sergeant Kierce.
        We talked about that CNA report which highlighted that
    although we have come a long way, there is still a lot of
    challenges and the biggest being not enough people in local and
    State government and even Federal Government who are trained to
    use social media.
        Sergeant Kierce, I think your own example, you know, even
    for yourself it would seem uncomfortable and you know, I can
    only imagine that millions of Americans are still just now
    embracing social media and to ask these employees to use it in
    a disaster situation which many times, you know, you have no
    preparation, you don't know that it is coming, and now you are
    put in the position where you have to get this information out
    there.
        What are you doing locally and what can the Federal
    Government do to assist efforts to make sure everyone in the
    department, not just the public relations, not just the
    communications folks, that everyone who needs to relay
    communication to the public is trained to do so in that kind of
    all-of-the-above approach, not just social media but making
    sure that it reaches everyone who needs to know?
        Sergeant Kierce. Well, I think it is--communicating with
    the public is always a challenge especially during emergency
    situations and as I mentioned previously, you know, it seems
    now from our information approximately 60 percent of the people
    in the United States are dependent on cellular communication as
    their primary means.
        So I think although the social media networking is very,
    very good, you also have to be very, very cognizant to the fact
    that you have to remain in a state of readiness where you go
    back to the old means of communicating where it goes back to
    establishing local centers where information can be relayed to
    citizens in times of need.
        The other problem that I do see although it is very, very
    valuable, the old saying, you can't unring the bell. Once the
    information is out there, if it is inaccurate, you have to make
    sure you get it back and get things back on track.
        We are in a situation now where we have found that, you
    know, most of the communication was done during Hurricane Sandy
    when there was cellular communication capabilities through text
    and things like that.
        So with our--we have recently had a new administration come
    in and they are very electronic-friendly where we are upgrading
    all of our communications, our Twitter pages and Facebook pages
    and also the website. And encouraging people to use these more
    frequently as opposed to just using them during emergency
    situations.
        Mr. Swalwell. Great.
        Mr. Ashwood, do you briefly have anything to add?
        Mr. Ashwood. Just basically that the real change is with
    people of my age, my generation, that we have to realize how
    people communicate today, and it is not--might not be the way
    that we communicated growing up.
        We don't have land-lines anymore. People use cell phones.
    It is a different scenario and we have to leave our comfort
    zone and say how do we integrate, how do we engage, how do we
    make sure that the messaging is out there?
        As far as incorrect information that is out there, a lot of
    that is self-correcting. You know, we talk about--and Mr.
    Adamski brought it up--there are other misinformation out
    there. When the traditional media comes out with
    misinformation, the only person that can correct that is the
    same person that told it to you.
        Mr. Swalwell. Right.
        Mr. Ashwood. Whereas within social media, if incorrect
    information out there, you are bombarded with other tweets
    coming in that are telling you that is incorrect information.
    So it is almost self-correcting in that sense.
        What we have to do especially like I said, the people who
    are my age group and older, we have to conform to the new way
    that people communicate. We have to say that this is not
    comfortable to us, but it is something that we have to do for
    the future.
        Remember, there was a time none of us wore seatbelts and
    none of us had smoke detectors either, so change is coming. It
    is being done as we are sitting here. It is just going to take
    a little bit of time.
        Mr. Swalwell. Right.
        I think Ms. DeFrancis nailed it when she said we still have
    to make sure that we use traditional means and I know the Chair
    was a former prosecutor, I was a former prosecutor, and I think
    this analogy probably works.
        I learned in the courtroom when I was presenting a case to
    the jury, because of the CSI effect, I had to, you know, you
    know, have PowerPoint presentations that really grabbed the
    jurors, but I still had to use, you know, the cold hard
    evidence and put that on the table and let them see that and it
    was kind of an all-of-the-above approach.
        I couldn't, you know, forget about the new technologies
    that were out there but people still want the traditional means
    and I think that applies here and how we use social media in
    disaster response.
        Mrs. Brooks. Thank you.
        I just have a couple more questions. This is actually for
    Mr. Adamski.
        The Department of Homeland Security runs the Virtual Social
    Media Working Group and--out of the Science and Technology
    Directorate and I have seen some of those reports, and their
    mission is to provide best practices to the emergency
    preparedness and response community on the safe and sustainable
    use of social media technologies.
        Does FEMA have a representative on that working group? If
    so, who is that? What is their title? Does that person report
    to you or maybe are you on that group?
        Mr. Adamski. No, absolutely. I appreciate the question.
        So, we do have a member on the working group. It is our
    day-to-day social media lead, Jason Lindesmith. He served a 3-
    year term and my understanding is that they asked members who
    are part of the working group to serve 3-year terms.
        So what we are--and since his term is up, we are looking at
    a digital communication specialist in one of our regional
    offices to see if we can help add that second person to the new
    term.
        With regard to the person, the person has a dotted line to
    me. Jason has a dotted line to me.
        Mrs. Brooks. Okay, thank you. I think it is very important,
    the work that they are doing because obviously the best
    practices--this is such an evolving, I think a communications
    tool that we need to ensure that those best practices are
    coming together and then are being circulated to the field so
    to speak to ensure that that training happens.
        Talking about one of the biggest barriers, I think, and I
    think Mr. Ashwood has talked about it, with respect to
    emergency management agencies' use of social media might be the
    lack of dedicated personnel and, you know while maybe we
    wouldn't expect for the Federal Government to pay for that
    personality per se, the training, the guidance, the ability to
    train and to use grant funding for this purpose I think is very
    important.
        To what extent, if you know, does FEMA incorporate social
    media and maybe I will open it up to the others into their EMPG
    grants, the homeland security grants, you know, whether or not
    this type of training is provided in FEMA grants. Are you
    aware?
        Mr. Adamski. My understanding is that if it fits within the
    emergency preparedness, their emergency preparedness activities
    as well as their homeland security strategy but to your note,
    though, since I am not in the grants department, we can get you
    a more definitive answer.
        Mrs. Brooks. Okay, thank you.
        Mr. Ashwood or Sergeant Kierce, whether or not you know
    whether or not social media training, helping with personnel
    costs--is that an allowable expense at this point?
        Mr. Ashwood. Well, the emergency management performance
    grant, some view it as the emergency management preparedness
    grant. It is not. It is the emergency management performance
    grant and the flexibility is there for the training, for the
    social media evolution here as we are at the State level and
    the local level.
        It is really the opportunity that is there for the States
    to take advantage of. I don't see anything in EMPG that does
    not allow us to do what our strategy is to engage and
    incorporate social media with our locals as well as our State.
        Mrs. Brooks. Thank you.
        Sergeant Kierce, anything further?
        Sergeant Kierce. Yes, just to echo what Mr. Ashwood said,
    through the UASI program, you know, there is a considerable
    amount of dollars available for information sharing, especially
    between the public and private sectors, which I think is also
    another avenue that needs to be explored.
        Obviously, with our business communities and things like
    that, they have grave concerns that many times they are not
    receiving the information as quickly as possible which could
    ultimately, you know, affect their business capabilities also.
        Mrs. Brooks. With respect to the private sector, I am
    curious, Ms. DeFrancis, whether or not Red Cross Safe and Well
    website--it has been a very popular resource during recent
    disasters.
        Google also stated that their Person Finder program has
    been very important. How are those coordinated? Speaking of the
    private sector, how are we coordinating Google with Red Cross'
    Safe and Well program?
        Ms. DeFrancis. Thank you. Well, we developed Safe and Well
    in the aftermath of Katrina and as Congressman Palazzo said,
    that was a long time ago in terms of the development of digital
    tools.
        So we have been constantly refining it and bringing it more
    up-to-date. We recently in our last redesign of it allowed that
    not only would you go on Safe and Well and register, but then
    you could also click on a button to post your update to
    Facebook or Twitter. So more eyeballs would see that you were
    doing that.
        We are in discussions with Google about People Finder and
    we certainly understand the importance of getting as many
    people to see that, but we have certain protocols around Safe
    and Well that protect privacy of people and we want to make
    sure that we, in doing that, protect that.
        Mrs. Brooks. I guess I will just open it up to the rest of
    the panel to discuss whether or not--whether technology
    companies in your own jurisdictions or Google, Twitter, you
    know, what kind of communications are any of you having with
    those companies?
        Mr. Ashwood.
        Mr. Ashwood. Well, I think the key there is the
    relationship with the private sector. It doesn't matter whether
    it is just social media or working directly with the private
    sector on all issues of emergency management.
        We have a long way to go to make sure that we are fully
    incorporated within the private sector and that they are
    working with us. So I think that is the real key. I know many
    States are further along than others.
        I know with our State that we have a Governor's private
    sector task force that we are trying to utilize and really put
    them in the solution business for some of the issues that we
    have because, quite frankly, they have better answers than we
    do many of the time--much of the time.
        So we need to make sure that that relationship is strong
    and keeps going and this is just one aspect that we utilize
    during those conversations.
        Mrs. Brooks. Anyone else? Any other discussions on the
    private-sector partnerships?
        Mr. Adamski. No, absolutely. So when we have that
    conversation at those information-sharing sessions, we share
    what information we have whether it is preparedness information
    or as I said earlier, our disaster recovery center data feeds.
        So we can make them aware of the tools that they can ingest
    into their products as appropriate as well as in some of those
    information-sharing sessions that we have had that was how we
    learned that some of the platforms that are out there and
    specifically Twitter, you can actually update your status
    message via text message.
        So if you actually sync up your account with your cellular
    phone number, you can actually update your status message in
    140 characters with it just having it two bars for cellular
    connectivity.
        So that piece goes to preparedness to all of the previous
    discussions about being prepared ahead of time, having a plan
    as well as letting your friends and family and loved ones know
    that you are okay and sharing that information with them.
        So it is those information-sharing sessions that I think
    have been valuable and will continue to be valuable.
        Mrs. Brooks. I would like to know and Sergeant Kierce, you
    mentioned that you had so many--you had posted so much on
    Twitter that it caused a problem with the number of posts, and
    in fact, it is my understanding that Twitter, you can be in
    Twitter jail when you post too many times.
        I am curious--what are your different organizations'
    relationship with Twitter? How are we handling that in these
    times so that Twitter doesn't shut down your account for a
    period of time? Did that happen, Sergeant Kierce, or did you
    just have to deal with the shutdown for a period of time?
        Sergeant Kierce. Well, you know, you are limited as far as
    characters and things like that, being able to formulate many
    messages especially of an emergent nature, you know, you have
    to have particulars in there, so it is a bit of a challenge.
        We just dealt with it. You know, and fortunately, when it
    did come back on-line, it did work, but the--as I say, one of
    the biggest challenges we are facing now is trying to
    incorporate all of the different groups.
        Special needs is a major concern we have also. So updating
    our registries and things like that and kind of instructing
    folks as to if in fact they do fall into that category to
    embrace use of the social media where we can keep in touch with
    them; very, very important.
        Mrs. Brooks. Yes, Ms. DeFrancis.
        Ms. DeFrancis. Chairwoman, I would say that we are in
    constant discussions with all of the companies--Twitter,
    Facebook, Google--all of them, and I think in terms of Twitter,
    I think we have stayed out of jail by them--having previous
    conversations with them, them knowing the types of things that
    the Red Cross will be doing.
        But, you know, we know that the next technological horizon
    is going to come from those private-sector companies. We are
    very excited to see what more that we can do with those tools,
    and I think their involvement in all of this is really
    important because that is the future and like you said, it is
    Twitter and Facebook today, we don't know what it will be
    tomorrow.
        We have been surprised by mobile apps. We used to put all
    that information on long tear sheets and hand them out. Now
    they are on the convenience of your phone, and so we are pretty
    excited about that, but it underscores the importance of
    everybody working together.
        Our relationship with the technological companies, the
    internet companies, is they really want to help. They want to
    be there on the front lines helping with these solutions.
        Mrs. Brooks. Anyone further?
        Well, thank you.
        At this time I just really want to thank the witnesses for
    your valuable testimony. It is building upon what we learned
    from the private sector in our previous hearing.
        As you have stated so eloquently, Ms. DeFrancis, that
    partnership is critical, it is something we need to be looking
    to the private sector to bring us the next innovations, but
    then I think that the challenge is, how do we make our own
    emergency responders, first responders comfortable with this
    new technology?
        What kind of training is being provided to them? What kind
    of resources are we dedicating to this? I think we will only
    see it grow from what happened in Hurricane Katrina to future
    disasters and unfortunately we all know that there will be
    natural disasters.
        Knock on wood, hopefully no more, you know, terrorist
    incidences in this country, but we must count on all of your
    agencies and programs, you know, promoting the use of social
    media. People are expecting it.
        With the data that we have seen, people are expecting us to
    respond. They are expecting us in Government and in the
    recovery efforts to help them.
        So I just want to thank you all so very much for your
    efforts, for getting people aware and ready prior to disasters,
    but then even more importantly, for your recovery and all that
    you all are doing whether it is in the law enforcement,
    emergency management, nonprofit, Federal Government, I just
    want to thank you all so very much.
        This is going to conclude our hearing at this time. Members
    of the committee may have some additional questions for the
    witnesses. If they had to leave, they may have some questions
    which they can pose to you, ask you to respond to these in
    writing, and pursuant to committee Rule 7(e), the hearing
    record will be held open for 10 days.
        So without objection, our subcommittee stands adjourned,
    and I thank you.
        [Whereupon, at 11:36 a.m., the subcommittee was adjourned.]

                                A P P E N D I X

                                  ----------

          Question From Chairwoman Susan W. Brooks for Shayne Adamski
        Question. As the public has become increasingly more reliant on the
    internet, and even FEMA recommends that disaster survivors register for
    assistance on-line, how do you work with the private sector to ensure
    that resources are brought in such as mobile cell towers and wi-fi hot
    spots?
        Answer. FEMA works in partnership with all levels of Government
    when we respond to emergencies. One of the tools used is the National
    Business Emergency Operations Center (NBEOC) that is activated during
    responses and is located in the National Response Coordination Center
    under Emergency Support Function No. 15. This is a primary two-way
    communication flow with private-sector entities. In collaboration with
    State/local/Tribal/territorial emergency managers, if there is a need
    after a disaster for mobile cell towers, Wi-Fi hot spots, or even cell
    phone charger stations, we utilize the NBEOC and our existing
    partnerships with those in the private sector to assist with filling
    this need.
        As part of our preparedness messaging before an emergency, we
    encourage individuals to have a NOAA Weather Radio All-Hazards or Red
    Cross radio to receive important updates and information from local
    emergency managers. We also encourage individuals to keep on hand extra
    batteries for cell phones and if they have a car, to have a phone
    charger so they can charge their phone from the car battery. This
    recommendation is in addition to having other basics, like extra food,
    water, flashlights, and batteries. A comprehensive list of suggested
    preparedness items can be found at www.ready.gov.
          Question From Chairwoman Susan W. Brooks for Albert Ashwood
        Question. One of the interesting things we saw in the aftermath of
    the tornadoes was the use of social media to promote grassroots
    participation in relief efforts. Specifically, the use of Twitter and
    Facebook to connect survivors with people who were donating goods,
    services, shelter, and other essential items. Was the Oklahoma
    Department of Emergency Management aware of these sites when they first
    surfaced, and from your perspective, how well did these efforts
    complement the State's response efforts?
        Answer. The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management was aware
    of the websites that assisted in the response efforts. Not only did the
    department know that the websites existed, but the OEM coordinated with
    Oklahoma Management and Enterprise services and Oklahoma Interactive to
    develop a disaster-specific website that became the centralized
    location for disaster information from the Office of Emergency
    Management. This website received 118,000 visits in just over 2 weeks.
    This website and the creation of those like it, contributed to the
    management of the goods that were donated for the masses.