In recent years, severe storm surges, flooding, mass power outages and other natural or man-made emergencies and disasters have affected businesses in myriad ways. When these disasters strike, the Homeland Security Enterprise relies on real-time data to effectively help businesses, and in turn, private citizens, recover and get back on their feet.
During the 2019 hurricane season, in the aftermath of Hurricane Barry in Louisiana, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) used business status information data to prioritize their response and recovery efforts and determine which organizations needed federal aid. This data was provided by a tool called the Single Automated Business Exchange for Reporting, better known as SABER. Originally created by the private sector, SABER is now a free open-source reporting software, publicly available thanks to funding from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T).
“SABER is a crucial tool for helping organizations maintain or resume their operations both during and after a disaster,” explained DHS S&T Program Manager Ron Langhelm. “Users upload their business status information with the knowledge that federal aid organizations such as FEMA are monitoring SABER and have the resources to immediately respond to and provide aid for any type of crises that they may be experiencing.”
