The Imperfect Storm

Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Mary Rose Roberts

National agencies work hard to improve operational response during hurricane season

Hurricanes can reshape cities as high winds, storm surges and flooding cause widespread devastation. Hurricane Katrina in 2005 pummeled New Orleans and left in its wake an estimated economic loss exceeding $125 billion. Residents became homeless, historic businesses were destroyed and first responders were stretched to their limits.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicted that the 2008 season would be active. More than 15 named hurricanes are forecasted to form in the Atlantic basin between June 1 and Nov. 30. In May, NOAA urged residents living in coastal areas to have an emergency plan in place before a storm hits. According to Conrad C. Lautenbacher, the agency's undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere, planning and preparation are key to storm survival and recovery.

The same applies to first-responder agencies that depend on technology before, during and after a natural disaster hits the U.S., especially when it comes to communicating across agencies. In fact, the lack of interoperability between federal, state and local agencies' radio systems hindered operations and response times following Katrina.

Federal and state agencies are adopting and testing interoperable systems to prepare for big storms, said Col. Charles Schulze, the Army National Guard's Maryland state aviation and training officer. Such national disasters can be a bane to radio communications. He said that during a 2006 flood in Maryland, a National Guard helicopter was sent to evaluate the situation and report back to headquarters and first responders on the ground.

The messages never got through.

“They could only communicate by cell phone after they landed somewhere,” Schulze said. “The lack of communication made it difficult for the National Guard to support first responders during the domestic emergency.”

A training flight drill was run in May to practice radio operations that would be needed should a hurricane hit the region this year. During the one-hour drill, Schulze's team used “plain-speak” language to communicate with the Coast Guard in Baltimore and the Maryland Joint Operations Center. It also listened to multiple police and fire calls from Hartford and Montgomery counties. The team used Project 25 radios in Blackhawk helicopters to communicate with ground units.