Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!wuarchive!texbell!vector!telecom-gateway From: ijk@violin.att.com (Ihor J Kinal) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Disaster Communications Message-ID: Date: 18 Oct 89 11:56:27 GMT Sender: news@vector.Dallas.TX.US Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories Lines: 32 Approved: telecom-request@vector.dallas.tx.us X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@vector.dallas.tx.us X-TELECOM-Digest: volume 9, issue 459, message 1 of 10 Watching the news reports, it was interesting to note that ABC managed to have power and communciations sufficient to broadcast out. It was obvious that power was out, since the blimp shots showed no lights, except for autos on the highways, so it wasn't unexpected that most phone lines were down or overloaded. One of the networks called the CHiP, and they stated that they had lost phone communications with most of their sites in the area, so they were unable to give damage estimates. I WAS SURPRISED THAT THE STATE POLICE DON'T HAVE BACKUP COMMUNICATIONS. Something on the nature of meteor-bounce communications [I've read recent articles that even trucks on their cross-country trips can communicate back to their base with something like this]. It's low band-width, so you store a message, and the equipment waits for a short time period until a meteor shower occurs, but aparently the wait is never long. It would appear to be the ultimate backup, as long as the radio itself is not buried. Speaking of communications, ABC constantly showed us the same picture from the blimp that was there to cover the ball game. My wife asked a very good question - why not send the blimp south towards the epicenter, to give a direct report??? Given the state of highways, etc, it would obviously get there quicker than anything except a helicopter, and presumably most of those were engaged in local disaster relief. Ihor Kinal att!cbnews!ijk