decs through a spread-spectrum microwave system, law enforcement agencies incorporated a helicopter-mounted camera and seventy land- based cameras. Authorities employed similar strategies to assist state and federal disaster field centers with emergency operations in south Sacramento and again in Southern California during the January 1994 Northridge earthquake. EMERGENCY RESPONSE The Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) video communication investment proved invaluable after terrorists attacked the Pentagon and the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. FEMA used video communication to coordinate rescue efforts. A system linked FEMA to the White House and a wide range of federal agencies through secure dedicated links. Vice President Dick Cheney said the system was SO important for coordinating the response that it was one of the reasons he initially chose to remain at the White House. Video Communications: The Whole Picture FEMA electronics maintenance manager, John Hempe, proclaimed, "We were online and communicating with the White House and other departments within minutes after the second aircraft struck in New York and before the hit in Washington." FEMA deployed a mobile videoconferencing unit in New York to relay twice-daily press briefings via satellite. Previously, it deployed video communication to improve communications between headquarters in Washington and the National Hurricane Center in Florida. John Hempe declared, "Being able to see the individuals you are interacting with adds a whole new dimension to meetings. our meetings are more lively and productive, as well as being far shorter than those conducted via telephone conference calls." Figure 2-4. Emergency Response Application (courtesy of Intel). Hempe said the time the system saves during emergency conferences, heightened communications, and a drop in costs speeded the adoption of videoconferencing. FEMA equipped each of its ten regional offices, and six other locations, with video systems comprised of a video camera, a television