Back in December officials celebrated the completion of the multimillion dollar expansion of the Emergency Operations Center in Agana Heights.  The emergency operations center in Agana Heights was first built in 1980.  Nearly three decades later the facility has expanded dramatically, not only in size but in its capabilities.
 
Inside we found the Joint Information Center.  Homeland Security Spokesperson Lesly Leon Guerrero says the JIC allows all government agency and private sector PIOs to work together in disseminating information.  "We come together and put the press releases if a disaster or a major emergency were to happen so we come up with one message one voice so there's no confusion with the public," she said.
 
Just down the hall, the heart of the Guam Homeland Security and Civil Defense offices, the Emergency Operations Center.  It's here where officials manage disasters whether natural or manmade.  "It's an upgrade from our normal old u-shape conference style to a stadium-style," said Leon Guerrero.  "We have 30 phones and 20 laptops so we're ready to go if something should happen tomorrow."
 
At the top of the EOC is the governor's conference room overlooking all the operations during a disaster.  Leon Guerrero says each of the lap tops are installed with Disaster LAN - emergency management software that was debuted during TOPOFF-4 exercises.  "Anyone who sits in this office will be able to log onto their account and view what's going on so from the moment a call is received, or a request is made for any kind of resource or assistance it gets put into the system and then it gets tracked and passed on to the people it needs to go to," she said.
 
So whether you're at the EOC or at a government agency, Leon Guerrero says Disaster-LAN lets them see what's going on.  In years past when disasters occurred, their federal counterparts would fly to the island and often work out of a local hotel, but with the new facility state and federal officials can work under one roof.  The feds even have their own area known as the interim or Initial Operating Facility.
 
She explained, "If something were to happen and we needed a federal declaration, FEMA normally sends a small group of people and normally they're located at a hotel somewhere far from us so what we've done in the expansion of the facility we've made room for the federal side."
 
The facility is also equipped with male and female bunkers, a special entrance for the governor that leads directly to his residence, along with full generator backup capability, an underground fuel tank storage and water reservoir that allows the EOC to be self-sustaining for up to one month.  Once funding issues are ironed out, Leon Guerrero says the Tactical Communications Center, currently housed at the Enhanced 911 center in Tiyan, will be moved to Agana Heights.