| Mount Weather | |
|---|---|
| State Route 601, Loudoun–Clarke counties, near Bluemont, Virginia, U.S. | |
 Mount Weather, with the Shenandoah Valley in the background | |
  Mount Weather Location in the United States  Mount Weather Location in Virginia | |
| Type | FEMA command center, permanent Executive Branch substitute |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by | U.S. Department of Homeland Security |
| Status | In service |
| Site history | |
| Built | Unknown |
| In use | 1959–present |
The Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center is a government command facility located near Frogtown, Clarke County, Virginia, used as the center of operations for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Also known as the High Point Special Facility (HPSF), its preferred designation since 1991 is "SF".[1]
The facility is a major relocation site for the highest level of civilian and military officials in case of national disaster, playing a major role in continuity of government (per the U.S. Continuity of Operations Plan).[2]
Mount Weather is the location of a control station for the FEMA National Radio System (FNARS), a high frequency radio system connecting most federal public safety agencies and the U.S. military with most of the states.[3] FNARS allows the president to access the Emergency Alert System.[4]
The site was brought into the public eye in 1974 by The Washington Post and the Associated Press, which mentioned the facility following the crash of TWA Flight 514, a Boeing 727 jetliner, into Mount Weather on December 1 of that year.[5][6]
- ^ Gup, Ted (June 24, 2001). "Civil Defense Doomsday Hideaway". Time. Berryville, Virginia. Retrieved November 26, 2017.
- ^ "Fire Departments" (PDF). The Lay of the Land: The Center for Land Use Interpretation Newsletter. Culver City, CA: The Center for Land Use Interpretation: 6–7. Spring 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 25, 2008. Retrieved April 3, 2008.
- ^ "Opportunities With OES ACS Program". OES Auxiliary Communications Service Homepage. Governor's (California, USA) Office of Emergency Services. Archived from the original on May 9, 2008. Retrieved April 2, 2008.
- ^ Merlin, Ross Z. (2004). "Communications Systems for Public Health Contingencies" (PDF). DHS/FEMA Wireless Program Management Team. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 25, 2008. Retrieved April 2, 2008.
- ^ "Plane crash in Va. kills 92". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. December 2, 1974. p. 1.
- ^ "Mount Weather; High Point Special Facility (SF), Western Virginia Office". GlobalSecurity.org.