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AND ABILITY TO QUICKLY REARRANGE AND REPAIR BUSTED SYSTEMS THEY HAD
PRACTICED LOTS OF TIMES.  AS YOU CAN SEE IN THESE EXAMPLES,
OPERATORS CAN END UP HAVING TO BE MUCH MORE CREATIVE IN MEETING
COMMUNICATION SYSTEM NEEDS OPERATING FROM A LOBBY, REPAIRING ROOFTOP
ANTENNAS, AND CROSS BANDING THROUGH A VEHICLE TO CONNECT TWO
DIFFERENT AUTHORITIES WHO HAVE LOST ALL COMMUNICATIONS.  OUR CURRENT
TECHNIQUES WEAK SIGNAL DATA, VOICE, WINLINK, AMONG OTHERS ARE JUST
THAT CURRENT TECHN PUBLIC SERVICE NOTES FROM A CATASTROPHE HURRICANE
IAN ON SEPTEMBER 28, HURRICANE IAN MADE LANDFALL NEAR FORT MYERS,
FLORIDA, AS A CATEGORY 4 STORM.  AFTER CROSSING OVER THE FLORIDA
PENINSULA, WHERE IT HAD WEAKENED TO A TROPICAL STORM, IT
STRENGTHENED AGAIN TO A CATEGORY 1 HURRICANE, AND MADE A SECOND
LANDFALL NEAR GEORGETOWN, SOUTH CAROLINA.  IAN WAS THE DEADLIEST
HURRICANE TO HIT FLORIDA SINCE 1935.  ONE OF THE MOST AFFECTED AREAS
WAS THE ARRL WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA SECTION, WHERE CHRISTINE DUEZ,
K4KJN, SERVES AS SECTION EMERGENCY COORDINATOR SEC.  AFTER THE
HURRICANE, DUEZ CONDUCTED A SECTION AMATEUR RADIO EMERGENCY SERVICE
ARES HOTWASH WITH ATTENDEES COUNTY ECS AND OTHERS PRESENTING
GRIPPING REPORTS OF CRITICAL PROBLEMS AND HOW THEY SOLVED THEM WITH
VALOR, DETERMINATION, AND COMMON SENSE.  HERE ARE THE HIGHLIGHTS AND
DISCUSSION OF HER REPORT DUWAIN HUNT, W8JJV, CALLED HURRICANE IAN
THE EVENT OF A LIFETIME ONE HE NEVER WANTS TO REPEAT.  HUNT OPERATED
FROM HIS HOME EMERGENCY STATION, WHERE MORE THAN 25 INCHES OF RAIN
FELL.  A SHELTER IN CHARLOTTE HAD 2 INCHES OF RISING WATER, SO ARES
OPERATORS GOT ON TOP OF TABLES TO KEEP COMMUNICATIONS GOING.
ANOTHER SHELTER OPERATOR COULDNT TRANSMIT FROM INSIDE THE BUILDING,
SO HE TRAINED THE SHELTER MANAGER ON THE RADIOS OPERATION SO HE
COULD GO OUTSIDE FOR ANTENNA MAINTENANCE.  ANOTHER SHELTER LOST ITS
ROOF AND HAD TO BE EVACUATED.  HUNTS CONCLUSION SHELTERS MUST BE
STAFFED BY OPERATORS WHO CAN THINK ON THEIR FEET.  DRILLS AND
EXERCISES ALONE CANNOT REPLACE CRITICAL THINKING DURING REAL EVENTS
LIKE HURRICANE IAN.  A REPORT FROM THE SARASOTA AGRICULTURAL
RESPONSE GROUP CHUCK JOHNSTON, W4CWJ, HEADS THE SARASOTA
AGRICULTURAL RESPONSE GROUP SARG NET, AND REPORTED THAT PRIOR TO
HURRICANE IAN, SARG RAN TWO EXTENSIVE DRILLS THAT PREPARED MEMBERS
FOR DAM BREAKS AND FLOODING.  COUNTIES ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE I 75
CORRIDOR ARE RURAL AND HAVE LARGE HERDS OF HORSES AND CATTLE, AS
MEAT AND DAIRY ARE HUGE INDUSTRIES IN THE REGION.  SARG CHOSE NEXT
GENERATION DIGITAL NARROWBAND NXDN RADIO EQUIPMENT BECAUSE IT WORKS
WELL IN FRINGE AREAS.  OPERATORS ALSO USED NXDN EQUIPMENT TO CONNECT
SARASOTA AND CHARLOTTE COUNTIES WITHOUT TYING UP OTHER REPEATERS,
AND TO NOTIFY THE SHERIFF AND ASSIST WITH CLEARING A BLOCKED ROADWAY
THAT WOULD LATER BE OPEN ONLY TO EMERGENCY VEHICLES.  AFTER THE
STORM, THEY WORKED WITH THE STATE TO SERVICE A THREE COUNTY AREA AND
SET UP RESOURCE STAGING.  IN MYAKKA CITY, MORE THAN 700 HEAD OF
CATTLE WERE LOST DUE TO FLOODING.  SARG HELPED WITH SIX ANIMAL
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