FCC To Activate Hurricane Milton Disaster Reports

The FCC has announced it will activate the Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS) in response to Hurricane Milton, which is expected to impact Florida. 

This activation, effective from October 9, 2024, is in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Communications providers in the affected areas are required to submit and update information through DIRS regarding the status of their communications equipment, restoration efforts, and power sources (commercial or backup). This helps ensure that critical communication infrastructure remains operational during and after the hurricane.

Hurricane Milton, now a Category 4, will reach the west coast of Florida late Wednesday or in the predawn darkness of Thursday morning as a major hurricane,

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says there’s still much uncertainty about Hurricane Milton, but the state is preparing to open highway shoulders for mass evacuations to come.

Individual counties make evacuation calls. “Once those orders come down from all the counties, I think it’s going to be a significant number of people,” DeSantis said. 

The Florida Department of Transportation is monitoring traffic, and as soon as travel speeds are down to 40 mph, the state will begin to open shoulders for travel to relieve congestion, according to state Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue.