Long tables form a big rectangle, surrounded by chairs, in the center of the room. A microphone sits in front of each chair. The tables make up the central briefing area, used by representatives of various Red Cross departments throughout a disaster. The Red Cross disaster staff gathers at the briefing area once or twice a week to keep everyone apprised of ongoing relief operations, large or small. During a time of high activity, briefings might be increased to twice a day.
Phones ring, computers click, faxes arrive, TVs offer constant updates.
Voices shout back and forth across the Situation Room. We also use demographic tools to understand the nature of the communities affected. Two TV screens are tuned at all times to CNN and the Weather Channel. When a disaster is called in to the DOC, the first step is damage assessment. The center has direct links to reports from the National Weather Service, National Hurricane Service and National Geological Service.