CSRA EMCOMM

CSRA Emergency Communications - A Start

The return of the Hurricane Season reminds me of why we started the CSRA Mesh. In late September 2024 Hurricane Hellene hit Florida and started north. It was slated to hit Atlanta but at the last minute the CSRA became the target instead and we took a direct hit. Sustained winds of over 100mph cut a swath through the area like a scythe with something like 60% of the trees in the CSRA wiped out. Hundreds of homes were completely destroyed, thousands were majorly damaged. Most of the folks I know were without power and cell service for at least 3 days. Some were lucky and had one or the other. Others, like myself, were without stable cell service for 7+ days and without electricity for weeks. Our only real way to get information for days after the storm was via FM and Amateur radio. I had already been playing with Meshtastic since I am interested in gadgets and communication, but after Hellene I saw the potential to use Meshtastic as a tool instead of just a toy. I had already found an active Mesh in North Georgia (Mountain Mesh) and decided to mimic the great community they had started in the CSRA. We now have roughly 70+ active nodes in the area with more being added every week.

But to turn Meshtastic into a tool we need more than just nodes connecting across the CSRA. Meshtastic is a messaging platform designed for resiliency. When a disaster hits we will need to have formalized our response so that we can mitigate the damage to the mesh. We may not have everything someone needs in a disaster, but we can try to ensure that their message and needs can be heard. One of the scariest parts of a total communication blackout, like we had during Hellene is not being able to reach loved ones and friends. To me, that is the role that Meshtastic can fill, IF we are prepared. How do we ensure that the mesh can be rebuilt quickly after infrastructure has been destroyed? What do we need to have on hand to be able to share with others who might not have a node but we need to be able to reach over the mesh? What settings and devices do we need to be able to program a node to connect to the mesh. (Remember, we couldn't reach the internet for days). 

Over the next weeks and months we will explore this together as we work as a community to be able to assist and be better prepared for the next time the CSRA experiences such an event. This page is dedicated to providing the information and documentation of our journey through this together.

Resources

Here you will find links and information related to Emergency Communications. These may or may not be specific to Meshtastic, but a good EMCOMM Plan does not rely on a single platform because that becomes a single point of failure. We want resiliency and availability, hopefully these resources will help you find both.

Channel 3 Project - AmRRON

A simplified way to standardize communication using non-licensed radios (FRS, GMRS, CB) in the event of an emergency. Designed to provide where, when, and how to find other people on the radio while conserving battery life. 

https://amrron.com/communications-resources/ch3-project/ 

Wilderness Protocol

A way for Amateur Radio hikers and campers to be available for Emergency calls by monitoring specified simplex frequencies at specific times.

https://tcares.net/the-wilderness-protocol/ 

https://cvara.net/public-service/wilderness-protocol/ 

CSRA Mesh - Tentative EmComm Plan

This is a tentative list to help you incorporate the Mesh into your own EmComm plan. Any good EmComm plan will have layers of communication, the Mesh should be only one of the layers that you have at your disposal at any given time. Like any system it has its weak points and potential to fail, planning and practice will help you combat those failures and be prepared. 

This is by no means exhaustive and will need to be refined over time, please do your research and prepare what you need for you and your loved ones. We provide this merely as a guide to help provide a suggested framework for the area and individual to build on.

Preparedness - Be Ready

1. Power - Have your nodes batteries charged and multiple ways to recharge if the batteries should the event last longer than the batteries. Plan out how to conserve power if needed (i.e. coordinate to only power on the node at specific times to check in). Remember: if your node depends on a cell phone or another device to operate then you'll need a power plan for those devices too.

2. Settings - 

   1. Have you node updated to a current stable Firmware Version and a backup copy of the firmware on hand in case the node gets corrupted. If possible have a test run to ensure that you have any cables, adapters, PC/Phone, or other devices needed to perform the update. Remember - Meshtastic is still a Beta project and constantly changing. Over time older firmware versions will no longer work with Apps and may stop communicating to other nodes, so keeping up to date is important. Also you may need to update or fix another person's node in the field, so try to prepare just in case.

   2. Backup your settings and your keys! If you need to do a restore it can go much faster (and save valuable battery life) if you already have a backup of the device saved. Go ahead and get it setup now.

3. Apps/Devices - Test and verify your devices that you use to interface with the Mesh Node now. Some App updates have broken the ability to talk with older nodes so always try to do a full test several days before an event. If you are keeping nodes turned off and stored try to pull them out and test them with your device at least every six months and if possible three months. This way you'll know they are ready to go when you need them.

4. Spare Parts - Equipment fails. Events damage nodes that we depend on to reach others. Have the resources on hand to either fix or replace that equipment when it happens. Remember - it might not be your equipment, it might be your neighbor or an emergency responder that needs equipment fixed too.

Proactive - Test it

1. Contacts - Try to regularly say hello on the Mesh. If an event happens its important to have an idea of who can hear you and who you can hear. Occasionally take a screenshot of the map so that you have an idea of what is around you. 

2. Nets - Nets are set times that we practice communication skills. This can be an open Net for anyone on the Mesh to participate or a closed Net for you and your immediate contacts to verify equipment or reach still works. Practicing with our equipment is important to prove that it will do what we think it should do.

CSRA Mesh - If it happens

We are still on LongFast default settings. See our suggested settings on the FAQs page of the website to see how we are setup for the Mesh.

1. Make sure you and your loved ones are safe! You can't help someone else if you are in danger, get to a safe location/status first.

2. Take stock of your supplies and node status - especially power. You need to know your limits to be able to ration as needed.

3. Monitor the Mesh with your node

   1. If possible keep your node monitored 7AM-7PM; if not turn on your node for 30 minutes every 4 hrs starting at 7AM - so 7AM, 11AM, 3PM, 7PM. Remember you will have missed anything in between, so reach out if you need to for updates. Of course if your node can handle operating 24/7 then please do so! This will help others be able to hop through you.

   2. Keep typical private conversations to a minimum and on private DM's to keep the open channels clear for emergency reports and other general public related announcements. Remember - sending and receiving use the most battery life and we hop through other peoples nodes. You may have plenty of power for your node, but they may not.

   3. Keep emergency or informational messages brief and specific. Typically you want to list where, when, and what: i.e. Intersection of 1st and 2nd ST, 5AM 1/1/21, tree across intersection. Short messages have a better chance at being received and take less time to send, long messages may be broken up and information lost. 

4. Mesh Infrastructure - If you see an important node down and you have spare nodes or the ability to help fill in the gap do so. Attempt to coordinate on the mesh but if no one else is doing it and you can, try to fill in the gaps. When in doubt set the node role to client.

5. Common courtesy - Emergency situations, even when not life or death, are very stressful. Be prepared mentally to be kind and compassionate when others are rude or otherwise disrespectful. If we all try to be courteous then those people will be few and far between and we'll all be happier for it.