SAFECOM and NCSWIC Release Communications Dependencies Case Study: 2020 Midwest Derecho

Author: Ted Lawson, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Joint SAFECOM-NCSWIC Technology Policy Committee Federal Lead

A powerful line of severe thunderstorms (termed a “derecho”) moved across parts of the U.S. Midwest on August 10, 2020, quickly becoming the costliest thunderstorm in U.S. history. The most extreme winds—estimated at 110-140 miles per hour—destroyed or damaged homes, trees, power poles, and fiber lines, resulting in billions of dollars’ worth of damage. In response to impacts by the derecho on public safety communications, SAFECOM and the National Council of Statewide Interoperability Coordinators (NCSWIC) developed the Communications Dependencies Case Study: 2020 Midwest Derecho document. This document shares lessons learned and key takeaways from the State of Iowa in response to the derecho.

The case study provides emergency managers knowledge to better prepare for severe power outages and work with commercial providers to maintain and restore service. The document outlines a timeline for the event and the significant challenges and impacts posed by the storm in an already pandemic-stressed environment on public safety communications. The document describes key take-aways and associated best practices related to power resiliency; point of contact dependencies that impact timely response and recovery efforts; and system redundancy and resiliency techniques to enable continuing communications service operations.

The Communications Dependencies Case Study: 2020 Midwest Derecho document is the first in a series of case studies that builds upon the Public Safety Communications Dependencies on Non-Agency Infrastructure and Services document. Stakeholders are encouraged to share these documents with their respective networks.

For questions about the Communications Dependencies Case Study: 2020 Midwest Derecho document, please contact SAFECOMGovernance@cisa.dhs.gov or visit cisa.gov/safecom/technology for additional SAFECOM and NCSWIC technology resources.