"Red Cross looks to IT for post-Katrina recovery" http://www.computerworld. com/securitytopics/security/recovery/story/0,10801,104250,00.html
..would perhaps elicit some operational suggestions from the peanut gallery on how to perhaps assist in this effort, or prhaps contribute to the BellSouth issues, etc., then mea culpa.
There is also the issue of planning. By examining what happens during a disaster situation we can learn lessons and fix our own disaster plans before we need to implement them. For instance the communications failures in New Orleans were predictable. That's why the RedCross moved in comms gear prior to the hurricane. Even in an event where the physical damage is miniscule in comparison, i.e. the 7th July attacks in London, the cellular networks were overloaded and difficult to use for an entire day. So, perhaps portable WiFi gear like the Breadcrumbs here http://www.rajant.com/ would be something more of us should be stocking. If there is a disaster in your city, how will you communicate between your data centers and offices if the cell and phone networks go down? And if you set up a network of devices like the Breadcrumbs, then you are essentially building an alternate communications network that is connected to the Internet, i.e. you are an ISP and a wifi comms network connected to you is part of the Internet. So, to take this a step further, how many of the telecommunications companies on this list have an emergency comms plan coordinated with local emergency authorities in which you plan TO BE A PROVIDER OF EMERGENCY COMM SERVICES, and not just a user. According to meteorlogists, we are entering a period of a dozen years in which hurricanes can be expected to be stronger on average. And there are expected to be another 4 to 5 bug hurricanes before this year's hurricane season is over. And hurricanes are unpredictable. Canadians who think they are immune should check what happened in Southern Ontario during Hurrican Hazel in the 1950's. Holland, Germany and England have experienced storm surges even without hurricanes. And the list of possible disasters goes on. We cannot predict what will happen and where it will happen but we can confidently predict that SOMETHING will happen on a regular basis. So, how can ISPs make plans to be part of the solution when a disaster does happen? --Michael Dillon