[MilCom] HURRICANE RESPONSE COMMUNICATIONS

[Robert Wyman]

Many lessons were learned after Hurricane Andrew, including the need for a rapid deployment of communications equipment and a well-coordinated emergency communications infrastructure. I'll go out on a limb here and offer that Hurricane Charley may be the first major event since 9/11/01 to test the communications planning and response efforts that have been so well scrutinized and tested in recent years.

As of the 11:00 PM news in South Florida, reports indicate that Mutual Aid efforts are being initiated and emergency response teams are mobilizing...from the unaffected cities and counties to the most severely-affected sites...so far known to be in the Punta Gorda and Charlotte County areas of the state. By morning, additional damage assessment reports will be coming in from the remainder of the hurricane's path across the state. It is also reported that Charlotte County's local government building...also heard to be the County's EOC based on other published reports...was damaged or destroyed in the storm. One news report specifically indicated that a Broward Sheriff's Office team is enroute to that location at this time. Other reports and video indicate that a Red Cross shelter, far inland at Arcadia, Florida, was also severely damaged while occupied with over 1,000 storm evacuees.

As with Andrew, morning's light will bring on airborne damage assessments and on-site response teams from all levels of government. Monitors can expect to find communications in all radio bands, from HF through SatCom, and communication stations literally on land, sea and air. While the majority of comms may only be available to local monitors in Florida, there will certainly be stations and bands that can be heard nationwide with direct or support communication activities. 

For local monitors, remember that almost any public safety and business frequency may be pressed into service, not just the "normal" assigned freqs for a particular agency. The various Amateur bands are already experiencing heavy radio traffic around the state as well. For statewide and nationwide monitors, VHF and UHF aircraft band, SatCom, and HF will no doubt be sources of disaster-response comm channels. Put simply, >> search << everywhere, and don't discount or ignore any "old" bands like VHF-Low...or "old" local public safety radio systems like conventional repeater or simplex channels. 

I encourage everyone to post their disaster-response comms in a responsible manner, perhaps delaying the posting of mission-critical channels until after the emergency has passed so as not to compromise any critical law enforcement, rescue, or recovery efforts. For those on these lists that are actively involved in the response effort, thanks for your service and may your efforts remain safe.
 
Some links that may be of interest follow below.

http://www.floridadisaster.org/eoc/Charley04.asp
http://www.fema.gov/
http://www.floridaguard.net/
http://www.charlottecountyfl.com/
http://www.orangecountyfl.net/hurricane/hurricane_charley.htm
http://www.fpl.com/
http://www.redcross.org/

Robert Wyman
Miami