Communications Infrastructure No Match for Katrina

jfourier writes "In this age of cheap commoditized consumer electronics and advanced mobile technology, why can't all the people of a city make contact during an emergency? Cell phone circuits filled up during 9/11 attacks and in the wake of hurricane Katrina very few victims can make contact with their families, despite the fact that they have all those mobile phones. The Red Cross is looking to deploy satellite equipment to restore communications in affected areas." From the article: "Katrina made landfall in Louisiana early this morning with sustained winds of 145 mph, but veered just enough to the east to spare New Orleans a direct blow. Even so, flooding, power outages and heavy damage to structures were reported throughout the region. The Red Cross tomorrow expects to begin deploying a host of systems it will need, including satellite telephones, portable satellite dishes, specially equipped communications trucks, high- and low-band radio systems, and generator-powered wireless computer networks, said Jason Wiltrout, a Red Cross network engineer. "

Comments

Cellular blimps

[gothzilla]

I remember a story some time ago about a plan to deploy blimps for cell and wi-fi service. I wonder if that plan might be viable now? They could fly away for the storm then fly back shortly afterwards.

Re:Cellular blimps

[dgatwood]

Here's what I don't get. Amtrak runs trains up and down from Chicago to New Orleans on a daily basis, and also to someplace in New York. Do you really mean to tell me that they couldn't have gotten every one of those tourists out of New Orleans and surrounding areas? Even if they only have two trains to do it, you fill them, go an hour inland, dump everybody, run back, repeat.

No, what we have here is a bunch of companies that could have helped but chose to sit on their asses. Two choice quotes from comments at http://blogs.chron.com/sciguy/archives/2005/08/kat rina_a_terri.html:

Amtrak crapped out on us - closing up shop and shooing all their paying passengers out of the building - telling all passengers who were/are in New Orleans to transfer to other trains that we have to fend for ourselves. No emergency assistance - no emergency transportation to catch other trains or (at least) get us out of town - no emergency assistance to get us a place to stay.

...but the thing that really ticks me off is that amtrak closed up shop and activated a law loophole that would prevent the louisiana [sic] goverment from useing [sic] there trains to evacuate innocent people from louisiana [sic] especially new orleans [sic]. and just when you thought amtrak [sic] couldn't sink any lower.

Personally, I'd like to see the heads of Amtrak and other companies that could have helped but didn't brought up on charges of aiding and abetting involuntary manslaughter.

I've got a friend

[the_skywise]

who's evacuated out of state and has a cell phone with long distance service, but people are having problems calling TO him. Presumably because the call is still trying to get to New Orleans to figure out where to forward his phone call.

Money to be made here

[MooseTick]

It seems like Verizon, Sprint or someone could make a boatload of money from opportunities like this. They could have a few mobile cell towers that run from generators. When a tornado, hurricane, wind storms, or whatever hit, they truck those towers in as temporary replacements. The local government will appreciate it. The local cell phone users will appreciate it. The people not on their plan will make them a bundle in roaming fees!

They could store them centrally inthe country. Since they usually have a large warning, they could get them nearby the pending storm. Right after the storm clears, instant tower.

3. Profit

Re:Ham Radio

[YrWrstNtmr]

I just heard a short piece on NPR about this:

An 85 yr old woman was trapped on a rooftop. She somehow managed to get a cellphone call out to someone in Tulsa, OK. From there, the Red Cross took it, and asked for HAM assistance. From there, the message was relayed by ham ops to Idaho, then to Utah, then to [somewhere else], then down to the Coast Guard in Mobile, AL.

She was rescued.

A Huge Aerial Shot of Hurricane Katrina...

[antdude]

Big shot. It is 6200x8000 pixels and 8.4 MB big. Amazing how clear and big we can get with today's satellites.

Re:Ham Radio

[Mister Transistor]

Umm... That's not quite true. It is a commonly held misconception that in an emergency anything goes. However, in the real world it doesn't quite work that way... In case of emegency, you can transmit anywhere you wish, but you had better be prepared to answer for and justify your actions.

You CAN still be held liable for the consequences of your actions after the fact. There were a couple of similar cases I read about where a guy out hiking got lost in the mountains and there was no cell service or any ham station reachable, and he used his modified radio to call into the local police repeater to report his emergency. Clearly he would have died if he had not been rescued, yet he was still fined and had his equipment confiscated because of his actions.

In short, if you are faced with the decision of losing your Ham license or dying, you'll take the former, but as I said you will most likely have to pay the piper later.

BTW - Yes, IAAH (I Am a Ham) and I'm the statewide repeater frequency coordinator for one of the largest metro areas in the USA, so I speak with some authority here.