As Hurricane Idalia makes landfall in the Gulf of Mexico as a Category 3 storm, the Federal Communications Commission’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau and FEMA have activated the Disaster Information Reporting System to address communication challenges arising from Hurricane Idalia.
DIRS is a voluntary web-based platform where broadcast providers can report on the status of their communication infrastructure during emergencies. The FCC has requested that providers servicing the listed areas below promptly submit updates regarding their equipment status, restoration plans, and power sources, either from commercial or back-up supplies.
Counties Affected in Florida:
- Alachua, Baker, Bay, Bradford, Calhoun, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Columbia, DeSoto, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Hardee, Hernando, Hillsborough, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Volusia, and Wakulla
Stations can submit their status reports by accessing DIRS. First-time users will need to register and obtain a User ID. Reporting is requested every day at 9a ET until DIRS is deactivated. Notably, for those participating in DIRS, the separate Network Outage Reporting System obligations are temporarily suspended for the duration of DIRS activation in the affected counties.
The FCC remains vigilant and may expand the DIRS activation areas depending on the evolution of Hurricane Idalia.
