By Associated Press
Washington, DC – Alabama's homeland security chief told national lawmakers Wednesday that state agencies are much better prepared to handle a disaster than they were two years ago when Hurricane Katrina struck.
At a subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill, Alabama Homeland Security Director James Walker touted the state's ''bridging'' technology that allows agencies with different radio systems to communicate using different frequencies.
He acknowledged that the radio system wasn't properly used after a March tornado killed nine people in Enterprise, but he said the 18 (m) million dollar technology upgrade wasn't at fault. Instead, responders mistakenly relied on their cell phones, and the network locked up because of the overloaded use.
Walker also cited the state's ''Virtual Alabama'' program that uses Google mapping technology to allow emergency responders to create layered maps showing evacuation routes, infrastructure locations, and before-and-after pictures.
He said the Alabama response plan assumes that the state would be on its own, without federal assistance, for up to 72 hours in a major emergency.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)