On the recordFebruary 2, 2015
I want to thank the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) for yielding me this time. Last Congress, the Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications held a series of hearings examining how the Internet can positively impact disaster response at all levels. Over the course of these hearings, industry stakeholders, who included Google.org, Palantir, and the Internet Association, provided testimony about how the Internet helped galvanize citizens affected by disasters--from the Boston Marathon bombings to Hurricane Sandy. We also heard from an energy services company headquartered in my district, PSE&G, that was recognized by J.D. Power and Associates for its innovative use of social media in the days leading up to and following Hurricane Sandy. PSE&G used social media to communicate with its customers about how to prepare for the storm and to mitigate damage and about power restoration efforts afterward. Additionally, PSE&G testified about lessons learned about using social media during disaster response--ranging from using the right tone in messages to preparing social media companies to handle the increased volume of messages. In those hearings, we also took testimony from Federal, State, and local governments about how to use social media more effectively to provide disaster-related information to be better integrated into disaster response applications.…
