I use Katrina as my starting point for speculation and planning about things going horribly wrong in a natural disaster. Here's an article from way back when:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/07/AR2005110701334.html
When Katrina hit New Orleans, the 911 call center had to be abandoned because of the flood. They thought calls were routed to the fire department, but it was abandoned, too. Eventually calls went to Baton Rouge's 911 center without them being alerted to the fact - they had no clue where people were calling from and what any of the addresses meant. I consider this a total failure.

We live in the San Francisco Bay Area, so my assumption is that we'll have a major earthquake instead of a hurricane, but with global warming you never know. We have a landline at home, and we each have a cell phone on a different carrier in case one goes down, but the other survives. My assumption, though, is that all lines will either be out or so swamped we won't be able to get a dial tone.

Louise and I are ham radio operators, so we have plans on communications if landlines and cell towers are down. We have general licenses and two HF radios withbatteries and antennas, so we figure we can get hold of some hams out of the area of destruction.

We camp in Death Valley occasionally, and we rent a satellite phone, which has come in handy a couple of times (no emergencies). We can't afford to maintain an account, though, and I figure we won't be able to score a satphone after our major earthquake. :->

Any thoughts on communications if you can't get a dial tone? Something other than amateur radio? What am I missing?

Our goals are to let family know we're okay (they live out of state) and maybe get notice out of survivors' names -- health and welfare traffic. I don't think we'll be able to get any real help for emergencies from fire, police, or ambulance, but who can tell?

If something major scale events happens (Katrina or earthquake scale kind of event) the local responding units will be incapacitated or totally flooded with high priority tasks everywhere. Even if you could get through to them they probably can't help you.

Cell phone text messages are much more likely to go through if you have a bad signal or the system is bogged down by everyone calling at the same time. Ask your recipient to confirm the transmission.

Another option is using SPOT or a similar system, using the PLB satellite system to send a primitive pre-defined "I'M OK, this is my position" kind of email/SMS to your relatives. That is probably one of the easiest, fail-safe options in an "all-out" earthquake scenario, but the messages doesn't convey anything but the fact that you're alive. Of course you'd want to check that the service does not rely on any physical installations in California...

Usually, if any phone lines are operative, calls are routed out of the disaster area, rather than in, if I understand correctly.

Ham radio depends on relay towers, doesn't it? Aren't they subject to the same crippling effects that cell phone towers are?

After Katrina, sat phones were the ONLY things that worked for communications. Lt. Gen. Honoré said the only plans that Louisiana bureaucrats had made for that type of disaster included no communications problems! And every generator he saw was sitting at ground level in areas seriously prone to flooding.

I don't have any idea what would work for you under extreme conditions except a very long string with an empty can at each end, or a note in a bottle.

Sue

I think that if it is that bad in San Francisco every ham in the area not effected buy the problem will be on the radio searching for signals. You might check with the local ham clubs in the area as to the Freq s. they will be using. I am not a ham so I may be wrong on a lot of things.

Ham relay towers are small and simple enough that they can be made portable and not subject to some of the location restrictions as cell phone towers. It takes a bit of planning and work to replace a cell phone tower but a ham repeater that sitting in donated space has to be made to be easily removed in case they can't use that space anymore so its easy for someone to grab one and haul it down to the outskirts of a disaster area.
Part of the reason I got into preparedness was from a job where I would install the phone and computer systems used for e-911 and computer aided dispatching. I realized that the 911 operator and police are just like any other job, you have a few that actually are good employees, some that are average and some that are just there taking space. So don't get me wrong and think I'm down on any profession but since you can't choose whom answers that 911 phone your take your chances of getting one of the not so good ones. I decided then I want to have enough tools and gear and supplies should I need to rescue myself but also have to hopefully never have to.

Thanks for this topic. I'm an amateur radio operator also (General class) and have been nagging my wife for several years to at least get her Techincian Class license. I'm calling her in now to read this thread so she'll see I'm not the only one who thinks hubby and wife both having an additional means of communication during an emergency is a good idea.

I'm really interested everyone's ideas on this topic as it has been an area of concern in our planning.

Regards,
Michael

I suppose the best communication is to communicate your competence ahead of time: I lost touch with my father in Ft. Lauderdale immediately after hurricane Wilma in 2005. I wasn't particularly worried, because I know his capabilities. When I did get in touch with him, he complained that the biggest change in south Florida was the influx of whiners--that "this(no electricity, boil water, get your dinner out of the ocean)" is what it was like to live in Florida 79 years ago...

Susan,

In addition to Eugene's comments, many ham operators belong to local groups such as ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Services) and/or RACES (Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service) affiliated with the ARRL (Amateur Radio Relay League).

They (ARES) are all FCC Licensed Amateur Radio volunteers who get activated or deployed in crises large and small, including Kartina. Here's a link to see some of the support offered. http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/ares-el/index.html?issue=2005-12-21

For High Frequency (HF) (longer distance) communication, no relays are needed (but a good antenna is needed).

For VHF, natively it is basically line-of-sight, usually ran from a hand-held unit, but you are correct in that there are devices, "repeaters", that collect and re-transmit VHF signals over a wider area (such as a large city or county).

You are also correct that repeaters can be susceptible to disaster conditions, but almost all (at least in my area) are set up with automatic backup power supplies. Also, not all of these are necessarily in populated locations. I know at least one person in my county who host a repeater out of his home. Most that are in places such as downtown areas are high up in building (30 - 40 stories with the antenna on the roof) and would likely continue on emergency power in all but a direct "hit".

Yes, power backup for VHF repeaters would be for limited time but should last several days.

That's when amateurs make a move to HF. For HF, most all amateurs in ARES also have their own individual emergency power kits for their "rigs". We also have a nationwide fun/practice event as a group yearly in a weekend-long event called Field Day, where we compete for amateur contacts world-wide. A key feature of that event is that all stations must operate only on some form of emergency power (battery, portable generator, solar, etc).


Field Days are open to the public and I encourage you and everyone reading this to visit one and hope you will seek out a local Field Day site on Saturday/Sunday, June 26 & 27, 2010. Ask a ton of questions. Geeks like me love to think someone else is interested in our "hobby".

As additional practice we also help with communications for local events (usually the larger ones but small dispersed ones also) such as Charity races, local marathons, etc. We also support communications during large sporting events (100,000 spectators) for other non-profit groups.

When I first started learning about preparedness, this is one of the first organized groups I affiliated myself with, earned my license and started volunteering. Good people!
So, SAT phones were not the only means of communication. But, if by that statement you mean for the general person sitting at home when disaster hit then I’ll agree, that would have been about the only way to get a signal out. Becoming a “ham” does require preparation time, study and testing (though minimal).

One of the primary support activities amateurs provide during emergencies is passing message ”traffic” for individuals cut off (these “Traffic nets” operate daily, regardless of there being an emergency or not). It’s interesting that there are people in rural areas who know their local amateur operators and have long distance traffic passed regularly.
The obvious issue in an emergency is that someone cut-off from others and/or not using public shelters may not have a way pass a message to a disaster support person who could then get it to the amateur operator.

So, if you were not put to sleep by my long answer --

Remember one of the ARRL mottos:
When All Else Falis ... Amateur Radio

P.S. This is why I only have 61 posts, it takes me two hours to write them.

A CB radio can come in handy. Truckers can offer invaluable information on roadway conditions and alternate routes.

Howdy Everyone! As per All the above,What ever happened to Carrier pidgeons?Also,What part of a Radio is Delicious?Aside from communicating Reliably,Pidgeons are quite delicious!Of course I am referring to Carrier type/Country Pidgeons,& Not the Flying Rats that decorate our freshly washed vehicles,fences,windows,etc.YMMV