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 2000™ 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 ARES® 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@eoni.com.