II>> Dennis, (another VE), about how the Hams got into the act up
 RD>> I have a twin somehwere?!
 II> Don't mind me, I was asleep that day... which sometimes seems like my
 II> normal condition.   :-{
 Lately I'm the same Ivy...
 Too much studying,not enough sleep.
 RD>> In some places amateur radio was THE only way to get any messages or
 RD>> information out to those trying to help.
 RD>> The powers-that-be in some places had all their great plans for using
 RD>> the  cell-system trashed when many a cell-site tower took a thud to
 II> That is a lesson that ALL of the emergency services people seem to have
 II> to learn the hard way!  When there is any kind of disaster, whether it 
e
 II> from weather, flood, fire, earthquake or any other source, the public 
nd
 II> emergency comm facilities are likely to be rendered partly or mostly
 The laugh some in the emergency radio groups have had is that they told the 
regional emergency planners that it WOULD HAPPEN!!!
 But then we are all QUOTE"fancy cb radio operators"UNQOUTE.
 Guess the 2,000 to 2,500 calls handled in one 24 hour period were done by 
someone else.
 They will never learn...
 II> well, and Hams are the ONLY ones that can get the messages through.  But
 II> the most carefully plans of Emergency Coordinators and others involved 
n
 II> emergency planning can't understand that this is the case.  There are a
 II> FEW CB'ers that are capable, by virtue of experience, training and
 II> equipment, of helping out under such conditions, however what I have 
een
 II> out of their emergency corps, REACT, does not impress me.  So the load
 II> falls on ARES and RACES for local comms, and on the NTS to get health 
d
 Emergency planning here includes amateur radio,but some bureau-crats failed 
to take advantage of that fact and looked foolish in the aftermath for not 
doing so.
 Upwards of 200-350 amateurs were out there giving someone somewhere some way 
to get a message out and get some help in.
 Many were passing health/welfare and messages related to storm damages and 
n
some cases providing communications for the emergency crews working on hydro 
repairs from all over Canada and the Northern US.
 As the emergency covered a wide area of eastern Ontario to the western part 
of Quebec,the areas affected were far widespread beyond any normal attempts 
to respond.
--- GoldED 2.42.G1219
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