[PBARC] Katrina lessons

[E Glenn Wolf Jr]

>From the World -

http://www.wr6wr.com/newSite/articles/columns/emcommandyou1105.html


Katrina's Lessons
Jerry Boyd, N7WR
Hurricane Katrina brought unprecedented havoc to many states. It challenged
responders at all levels of government as well as non-government responder
organizations. Much criticism has been directed at the response,
particularly by those who suffered the most. While little, if any, criticism
has been directed at the Amateur Radio community it is my belief that we
need to be our own worst critics. Could our response have been better? Many
believe the only correct answer to that query is a resounding "yes." I want
to make it clear that there was good work done by the Amateur Radio
community during and following Katrina. Certainly many amateurs deserve
kudos for their efforts. Having said that, however, I have had more than one
reader ask if I thought it odd that Amateur Radio's role seemed less than
what one would expect given that Katrina was by far the most damaging
natural disaster in our nation's history. Quite frankly I was not surprised
that the level of use of Amateur Radio was not what many would have
anticipated. That is what results from a non-systematic,
construct-it-on-the-fly response which is exactly what occurred in a lot
(but not all) of cases. Fortunately, many excellent Emcomm leaders stepped
up to cause the response which did occur. But the effort was not coordinated
as well as it should have been. There are a number of reasons for that.

Let's get the easiest to address issues out of the way first and then move
to the more complex. The "exotic modes" I addressed in my last column had,
from all reports, comparatively minimal use. I'm sure if that had not been
the case, the proponents of modes like Winlink 2000T would have saturated us
with story after story of that mode's successful use following Katrina.
Those reports are lacking. Why? Because those modes are dependant upon
backbone systems that either do not exist to the degree needed, or they are
based on systems which collapse when a category IV hurricane pays a visit.
Certainly many systems collapsed when Katrina made landfall.

The next easiest issue to address is the matter of local amateurs not
entering the fray at the very outset providing communications from places
like the Superdome and Convention Center or substituting Amateur Radio for
the failed law, fire and EMS radio systems. The most elementary explanation
is that it was the rare amateur in the region who was not also a victim.
There was no (or very little) commercial power throughout the region.
Amateur repeaters, with some exceptions, were knocked off the air just like
their police/fire/EMS radio system counterparts. This was not the type of
disaster that local resources, be they amateur, police, fire or EMS were
able to do much about. That is not to say that there were no heroic efforts
by local personnel - there were. But the fact is, this incident was so
catastrophic that it took literally tens of thousands of outside resources
coming in before much of an impact was felt in terms of search and rescue,
re-supply of food and water, provision of needed medical assistance, and
restoration of communications services.

What are germane questions regarding the Amateur Radio response to Katrina?
Some that ought to be asked are: Why were Amateur Radio mutual
assistance/mutual aid teams not used to a greater degree? What about our
"agreements" with FEMA and others? Was the problem that government and
non-government organizations (NGO's) did not request us? Good questions all.
The answers should help identify the reasons why, in a future incident
similar to Katrina, the use of Amateur Radio will be minimal..unless and
until the Amateur Radio community and the national organization which
represents us comes to understand that a 1970s (and I'm being generous)
approach to Emcomm just doesn't cut it in the post 2001 environment.
Here's the issue, pure and simple. Amateur Radio Emcomm is provided by
volunteers. If we wish to be used in future Katrinas, however, we must be
organized like professionals. What do I mean by that? I mean the same thing
I, and others, have meant for the many years we have been urging that we as
amateurs need to create an organized mutual aid system. We predicted, and
correctly so, that at some point our lack of a formalized mutual aid system
would catch up with us..it did. I'm no prophet, and I'm certainly no smarter
than the next guy or gal. But in addition to Amateur Radio I'm a public
safety professional and have been since 1967. Seeing handwriting on the wall
is not rocket science for an old cop like me. Since 9-11 it has become
obvious that ad hoc, individual, or comparatively small group localized
volunteer responses to emergencies would no longer be acceptable or
effective "when the big one hits." They aren't. Government agencies, like
the Department of Homeland Security/FEMA, call the shots in major disasters.
One of the shots they call is this. If they want a resource (be it fire
fighting, riot suppression, or communications) they go to the NIMS (National
Incident Command System) Resource Typing System and they ask for resources
by type. They request what they need knowing in advance what they will get.
They do not say "I want some communications personnel." Second, when
requesting those resource types they go to the sources that they know can
provide exactly what is needed. Those sources will likely not be local
representatives whom they do not know but, rather, a national organization
(like the American Red Cross) with name recognition and a track record. And,
no matter where the incident occurs the point of contact will always be the
same. That is how the system, like it or not, operates. The day of the ARRL,
its field organization, and representatives of its ARESR program (be those
representatives SECs, DECs or ECs) being able to put together response teams
on the run and send them is past. To think otherwise is foolish.
As has been frequently mentioned in this column and elsewhere there is an
Amateur Radio Emcomm resource typing system that has been developed. And it
meets the DHS/NIMS resource typing criteria. That Amateur Radio resource
typing system is called ARCT (Amateur Radio Communications Teams). There are
four levels (or to use NIMS terminology) types.ARCT Type I, II, III and IV.
In fact, just one week prior to Katrina, NIMS put the finishing touches on
integrating ARCT into its NIMS Resource typing documents. So like it or not,
the ARCT system developed by D. W. Thorne, K6SOJ, is the only Amateur Radio
resource likely to be requested by DHS and others in future incidents.
The problem is that the Amateur Radio Emcomm community has not agreed on the
very resource typing system for Amateur Radio Emcomm that the federal
government, through NIMS, believes best suits its needs. We still talk about
"jump teams," ready response teams, rapid response teams etc. If we want to
be used, we'd better rally round the flag and all agree that the only term
we'd better use in reference to our emergency field response capability is
ARCT. If we fail to agree on that and fail to quickly adopt not only the
terminology but the content of what ARCT I, II, III and IV means to those
who will use our services we have collectively cut our own throats. The
bleeding started with Katrina. It will be fatal next time unless the Amateur
Radio Emcomm community gets on board the right train.

A second major point has to do with how ARCT can be requested in future
"Katrinas." Consider this. Katrina did result in the response of many
volunteer organizations. The American Red Cross, Salvation Army, USAR (Urban
Search And Rescue) and VFD Teams (Volunteer Fire Department) to name but a
few. Most of these are organizations very much like our own ARRL - A paid
headquarters staff, but responders made up primarily of volunteers. The key
difference, and maybe the reason why they were used to the fullest and
Amateur Radio was under-utilized, has to do with the request and
notification system. One phone call got the Red Cross rolling from wherever
needed..same with the Salvation Army and others. We need that exact same
system for Amateur Radio Emcomm. Some centralized organization (perhaps ARRL
or if that is impractical, some other) needs to be the single point of
contact with an on call "duty officer" available 24/7. Again, please
understand that I am talking about notification and response coordination
for major events, not localized emergencies or special events.

Here's how Amateur Radio Emcomm should play out in the Katrina that will
occur somewhere down the road.
. DHS or other Incident Command structure assesses communications needs and
determines Amateur Radio can meet some of those needs. IC makes a specific
ARCT request of the ARCT Program Coordinator.
. The ARCT Coordinator has an up-to-date directory of ARCT Type I Team
leaders which have been established in each FEMA region. The ARCT
Coordinator notifies the leaders of the appropriate teams and initiates the
response requested. The regional ARCT Type I leaders have access to listings
of ARCT Type II, III and IV resources and can activate them as needed.
This leads to the most critical need.that of establishing regional Type I,
II, III & IV ARCT. Is this a departure from the past? Sure it is. The
landscape has changed significantly and we need to change with it if we are
to remain a player. It will no longer suffice, in major regional incidents
for the shots to be called by the local EC, DEC or SEC. It will no longer
suffice for that local leader to use informal networks to summon outside
help from neighboring areas. In a disaster like Katrina no one has time to
"go shopping" for resources. No one has time to explain what is needed (that
is why the self-explanatory, defined ARCT is so critical). No one has time
(or maybe even the means) to insure that s/he is getting exactly what is
needed not, just "a bunch of hams with radios that will be there tomorrow."
I'm sure some will argue that it is impractical to expect that amateurs will
commit to regional teams, maintain their training, have ready-to-go
equipment caches, and be willing to drop everything at a moment's notice to
travel hundreds of miles to assist in a major disaster. Is it? Red Cross
volunteers, Salvation Army Volunteers, USAR volunteers (and I could go on
and on) do it all the time. And that is why they are used. And that is why
if we do not adopt this approach we will not be used.
For the first time in this writer's memory the League, during the Katrina
response, received a grant specifically to reimburse Amateur Radio Emcomm
responders for their actual expenses during the incident. This raises an
important point. If establishing regional ARCTs and having an on-call system
to get them rolling does result from the Katrina experience, as they should,
there does need to be a way to reimburse responders for actual expenses. It
would be ideal if the ARRL could count on grants such as the one
mentioned.but that is likely wishful thinking. So I further suggest that the
ARRL immediately take two additional steps. One is to meet with DHS/FEMA (as
have other volunteer responder organizations) and formalize a reimbursement
system. Money is generally made available for such purposes as part of the
federal response to regional disasters. This happens when there is a federal
declaration of disaster and when Congress authorizes a special appropriation
as it did with Katrina. Two, that the ARRL develop a special fund (as it has
for so many other purposes) to create a pool of money specifically for the
purpose mentioned. I may or may not be inclined to contribute to a W1AW
refurbishment fund, but like many, many others who believe that being a
viable player in the Emcomm arena is the key to our radio service's
survival, I certainly would contribute, annually, to an Emcomm response
fund. The fund would be used to reimburse only those whose response resulted
from the formalized mutual aid system.
There are undoubtedly many lessons every American should learn from Katrina.
In terms of our radio service few are more important than knowing that time
is growing short in terms of our Emcomm future. ARCT needs to be officially
adopted by the Amateur Radio Emcomm community (long overdue in my opinion);
overall coordination of major disaster Amateur Radio Emcomm responses needs
to be centralized; and the establishment of real, not just in name only,
ARCTs at all levels on a regional basis needs to become our highest
priority.
-The author welcomes comments and suggestions. He may be contacted via
n7wr at eoni.com.