Where the HELL Are the Media on THIS?

Hurricane Sandy, in 2012, killed 106 people in the United States, total. News coverage was 24/7 for weeks. The Federal government rushed in, as did politicians and celebrities.

Hurricane Helene has already hit over 120 people, and more to come.

Other than SHORT updates, pretty much Bupkis.

Appalachia has always lagged behind the rest of the country in terms of connectivity – roads, bridges, telephone/cell, access to internet, even access to radio and television. The region is too lightly populated, outside of the cities, to merit stringing wire/cable to much of it. Over-the-air options were always hit or miss. In my youth, I’d visit relatives so remote that you had to cross a swinging bridge (built by them) to get to the house. They used farm animals to prepare the fields and harvest, long after most food producers had tractors.

You know who is doing the most to help the region?

Elon Musk, who has sent, and is sending more, Starlink terminals. That ability to connect with the outside world is beyond measure.

Notice who made the need known (Trump did NOT post this, Musk did)? He won’t get credit, but I think it’s important to note this. And, if you can copy the picture above and share it on social media, please do. Voters need to know who makes a difference in Real Life, and who does not.

They were late to get landline phones, TV reception was spotty, and cable was a dream. When storms hit the region, they were often out of touch.

Today, with many of the cell towers down, they are even more isolated. Only those few who have a ham license have a shot at communicating with the outside world.

Apropos of radio communication, I thought I’d mention. I’ve had laryngitis for over 3 weeks – closer to four. I completely lost all vocal communications for almost 2 weeks, and am still limiting my speech.

CW – what hams call Morse Code – could fill the gap. Up till this week, I didn’t feel much like doing anything – talking, walking. I spent most of my time in a recliner, feet up (I was resting my ankle from a stress fracture).

After I deal with some financial and personal tasks this week, I’ll get back to improving my CW skills. I still have to set up my SBitX radio for CW. It may take a few days.