The Federal Emergency Management Agency used business status data to determine priorities in helping Louisiana-based businesses affected by Hurricane Barry. FEMA said Wednesday it generated the data from the Single Automated Business Exchange for Reporting or SABER tool.
SABER is an industry-based, open-source software that allows federal aid agencies to harness status information uploaded by businesses.
“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," Ron Langhelm, program manager at the Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate.
The data helped FEMA assign priorities across its disaster recovery efforts in the wake of the hurricane. DHS S&T provided funds to make SABER free and publicly accessible via web browsers and mobile devices.
