Was New Orleans Ready for Another Strong Hurricane?

I thought we were.

And yes, our levees didn’t break and flooding throughout the city was not as bad as Hurricane Katrina. However, communications were again a serious issue. As I write this article with what little battery life remains on my tablet, the temperature inside our house is 90°, we still have no electricity, very little water pressure, we can’t use our cellphones, and we can’t go anywhere. The only thing left is my ham radio.

Sixteen years ago to the day, in the aftermath of Katrina, our KB5AVY 444.150-MHz repeater on top of Ochsner Hospital on Jefferson Highway was one of the few links between New Orleans and the outside world. My then- 35-year-old repeater did not lose power because Ochsner Hospital had its own auxiliary power plant. Old-fashioned communications came to the rescue.