One of the things the U.S. Army brought to New Orleans, in the wake of hurricane Katrina, was Internet access. The army has, for nearly a century, possessed the capability to  instantly establish radio networks wherever it finds itself. But in the last two decades, this has been expanded to include satellite and Internet communications. The army also uses the same PCs and software that many civilians use. So once the army arrives and sets up, they can provide Internet access for other relief and government organizations. Katrina devastated the local landline and cellular phone systems, so the armys communications capabilities made a big difference very quickly.