As Hurricane Isabel barreled toward North Carolina in September, the guardians of US public health hustled to their Command Center. Filled with giant plasma screens, terrestrial and satellite Internet connections, a triple-redundant phone system, and 20 terabytes of data storage, it's where the Department of Health and Human Services monitors severe storms, outbreaks of West Nile fever, incidents of mysterious white powder in mail rooms, and other potential catastrophes. Its secret weapon: geographic information systems software that collects data from federal agencies, state and local governments, and international health organizations. The global network is helping Asian governments track SARS and avian flu.
HHS installed the Command Center in a conference room at its DC headquarters after the anthrax attacks of 2001, widely regarded as a government PR disaster. The extreme makeover took 59 days and $3.7 million. Today, the center is staffed around the clock, with some 50 workers called in when disaster strikes or the national alert level rises to orange. If Washington itself is the target, HHS has a mobile command center and two backups sited at - all together now - undisclosed locations.
- Patricia Thomas
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