Pubcasters Say They're Better Prepared for Hurricanes

Based on its analysis of the last storm season, PBS wants stations to do annual reviews of their disaster plans, Caleca said, noting that the threats go beyond hurricanes to include flu pandemics and terrorist events. Stations’ fuel capacity typically will keep them on the air with emergency generators for a day. “In a disaster like Katrina having more fuel capacity is something that you really have to think about,” he said: “The same thing could happen in the Midwest with tornadoes and the West coast with earthquakes.” Besides larger fuel tanks, stations should have contracts with fuel vendors to ensure supplies, he added.

“We have always had enough diesel,” LPB’s Courtney said: “I guess we were accustomed to doing it [refueling] more often.” WLPB Baton Rouge not only operated through the storm, but also opened its facilities to journalists and staff from CBS affiliate WWL-TV, WWNO(FM) and WWOZ(FM). But for Miss. Public Bcstg. (MPB), diesel and propane “became an issue” as many areas in the state went without power for more than 10 days, Exec. Dir. Marie Antoon said: “It was a nightmare. We were within hours of running out of fuel for our transmitter that serves the Gulf coast.” The network got fuel in the nick of time but at huge cost, she added. The Miss. govt., also hit by fuel shortages, has asked the Miss. Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) to issue a request for proposals for diesel and propane, Antoon said, and “we are listed in that. So we should have access to the state’s emergency supplies.” Her network plans to stockpile gasoline over the summer, she said.

Public broadcasters want to get on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) list to qualify for fuel the agency brings in, said Caleca. Broadcasters don’t necessarily want first-responder status, he said. Because PBS and APTS have been associated with FEMA and the Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) on joint digital emergency alert system (DEAS) pilots, those agencies know that provision must be made for DEAS gear to work in public TV stations in hurricane zones: “That means that if we have emergency power needs, our needs are dealt with not necessarily at the same degree [of priority] as the first responder but high enough on the list so that we are not waiting days to get fuel access.” APTS and PBS have been discussing the matter with FEMA, Caleca said, and “it’s in the process of being worked out.”

Another post-Katrina lesson is that stations need to plan for alternate cable or satellite transmission when service is knocked out. “It’s important to have the relationship [with cable operators and DBS providers] established ahead of time.” Also of importance is “close cooperation” between TV and radio in crises, he said: “Radio became a lifeline in Mississippi when TV stations were off the air.” Public TV stations that aren’t joint licensees need “good, working” disaster recovery plans with radio counterparts, Caleca said.

LPB’s comfortable fuel situation in 2005 was a credit to the network’s engineers, Courtney said: “We had a fuel depot in the parking lot with a guard. My engineers are on top of it and we know how to [deal with it]. We have big tanks and we are prepared.” Now she’s trying to get prioritization in power restoration, she added. The state Office of Emergency Preparedness now operates under the governor’s office after being run under the state police and national guard, she said, and “they are having communications plans and we are working with them.” LPB widened its plan to include evacuation of employees and topping off diesel generator fuel supplies. A “new dimension” of the plan is the role of others, including commercial broadcasters, Courtney said. LPB is preparing for an “expanded news operation” should 2005’s situations recur, she said, and “we are booking satellite uplinks and things like that.” Courtney fears each report of a coming storm will trigger a panic evacuation, she said: “How many times can you do that? We are disrupting life altogether.”

MPB is nearly done repairing WMAH(FM) Biloxi’s 1,500 ft. tower -- one of many towers damaged, said Antoon. WMAH, which serves the evacuation route, is designated to give emergency information, she added, noting that the network has written emergency plans for its hq in Jackson. “We have established through the state [govt.] a central personnel policy so that we have the authority” to override state govt. orders to ask essential personnel to report for work even when most state employees get the day off, she said. The network has arranged for a standby Spanish-speaking announcer to serve the Hispanic population and standby sign language interpreters for TV. The state govt. has designated MPB as the pool station for MEMA press conferences and announcements, she said, and “that means we will be sending our mobile unit to the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency to provide the pool feeds.” MPB now has shower stalls in its building’s rest rooms and is buying smaller generators, Antoon said.

Asked if towers built for 70 mph winds have been beefed up, Antoon said the network has talked with FEMA on the issue: “I think we are going to be able to do more than just repair because they [FEMA] figured they don’t want to repair these things again.” The towers will be in “somewhat better shape” than last year but aren’t rated for 100 mph winds, she said. Unlike La. Public Bcstg., MPB is getting FEMA money, Antoon said: “Sure, we would like liked it be sooner, but on the other hand there was $500 million worth of damage down here.” The network’s damage was pegged at $600,000. The staff of NTIA’s Public Telecom Facilities Program (PTFP) was helpful, she said, and the FCC called to inquire if it could help. The FCC did waive rules to let MPB’s WMAH-TV carry a Fox broadcast of the Saints game with commercials.

PBS is opening an offsite operations recovery center in the Midwest that can run PBS operations if its Springfield, Va. hg goes down, Caleca said. “It could literally feed the same kind of programming that we have here,” since it will have archives, plus asset management, master control and uplink capabilities, he added.