GETS

Interesting service from Department of Homeland Security - Government Emergency Telecommunications Service

From their About page

About GETS
During emergencies, the public telephone network can experience congestion due to increased call volumes and/or damage to network facilities, hindering the ability of national security and emergency preparedness (NS/EP) personnel to complete calls. The Government Emergency Telecommunications Service (GETS) provides NS/EP personnel priority access and prioritized processing in the local and long distance segments of the landline networks, greatly increasing the probability of call completion. GETS is intended to be used in an emergency or crisis situation when the network is congested and the probability of completing a normal call is reduced.

GETS is an easy-to-use calling card program; no special phones are required. There is no cost to enroll in GETS, though usage fees may apply. GETS calls will receive priority over normal calls; however, GETS calls do not preempt calls in progress or deny the general public’s use of the telephone network. GETS is in a constant state of readiness. It also provides priority calling to most cell phones on major carrier networks.

You dial a toll-free number from any phone, enter your PIN and then the desired destination number. Your call gets priority in the telephone system and can be routed around overloaded or damaged networks. Might be handy for the CERT team out here...