Office of Intelligence, Security and Emergency Response

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Transportation is both a vulnerable lifeline in our communities on a daily basis, but during disasters it is an essential component for helping the community get back on its feet and restoring its economy. To provide a centralized, effective program, the Office Of Intelligence, Security, And Emergency Response (OET), in the Office of the Secretary (OST) of the Department of Transportation (DOT), performs coordinated crisis management functions for multimodal transportation emergencies, including:

• natural disasters
• technological incidents / accidents
• labor strikes
• security situations, such as domestic criminal acts or international terrorist acts
• national defense mobilization.

For the Department to be ready at any time, the OET core staff must always be ready and prepared. Activities include:

• Managing the DOT Crisis Management Center (CMC) to collect, analyze, and disseminate critical transportation infrastructure information to senior DOT officials, and to make sure communications and other equipment are ready at any time.
  
  
• Managing the Alternate Relocation Site for core DOT functions so the Department can continue to work even if the headquarters is unusable.
  
  
• Developing and continually revising and testing plans and procedures to meet new threats and take advantage of new technology and other advances.
  
  
• Train DOT staff for disaster functions that are essential but not performed frequently.
  
  
• Exercise every component of the team and every aspect of the plan so surprises will be minimal when critical decisions must be made and implemented.
  
  
• Work with other Federal and state agencies to ensure relationships are in place before the stress of disaster response begins.