NEWS: New Orleans Emergency Radio Hits The Web

GEEK: New Orleans Emergency Radio Hits The Web

Earlier today, a stream broadcasting feeds from a scanner monitoring emergency radio frequencies in New Orleans was posted on the blog of a data center operator who stayed behind to keep the data center he works at open. The broadcast stream was quickly overrun, but now a list of multiple stream mirrors has been posted to a wiki which was set up to disseminate information and intelligence about New Orleans and the Katrina clean-up.

The broadcasts have been pretty quiet since 3PM EST today, according to the wiki page, but there's sporadic communication going on, and it's pretty fascinating. A moment ago I heard one unit report that a hospital in the area was requesting that armed guards stay there overnight, and another coordinating the pickup of a mechanic who has been working on repairing something relating to the sewer and water system. Until tomorrow, though, don't be surprised if you're listening to 30 seconds or more of dead air between communications.

It's somehow reassuring to hear calm, collected voices coming from the area and talking about securing and repairing things, as opposed to the frantic messages and reports of chaos we've been seeing all day. It's good to know that there actually is progress being made, even if there's chaos elsewhere in the city.


You can help out with the relief efforts. To help, contact the American Red Cross. You can donate on their web site or over the phone at (800) HELP NOW (435-7669). Donations of cash are far more flexible than in-kind donations and are therefore preferred. The American Red Cross has mobilized thousands of volunteers to respond in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and is sending close to 2,000 volunteers in the area to begin the initial response over the next few days.

For more ways to help, check out Instapundit's roundup of relief organizations.

Wow, just now there was an Emergency Operating Center trying to coordinate the evacuation of "multiple babies" from just outside the Superdome to a hospital in Baton Rouge.

Dammit. You're right. I love wikis too, I just wish they didn't all look just like Wikipedia.

I'm pretty sure they've got some sort of communications equipment deployed, since it seems like that'd be a first priority, and they were trying to get an Air Traffic Control unit into New Orleans from Texas a little earlier. I could be wrong though. Since it's all on one stream, I don't know how many channels there are that are being monitored and how they negotiate between them.

[Edited on Sep 01, 2005 by bean]