Here’s an interesting item in Jeff Pulver’s predictions for 2006:

8) Hurricanes such as Katrina and other natural disasters in the U.S. and around the world will compel the U.S. and other governments to look to the Internet and IP-based communications as the vehicle to improve emergency response and post-catastrophe communications.
2006 Predictions for IP Communications Industry: Coffee Talk with Jeff Pulver 6 December 2005

Considering the FCC has already announced a Homeland Security Bureau for this and related purposes, that prediction seems likely.

-jsq