The fact of the matter is that when a catastrophic event does happen, and communications are totally down, resourceful people will find ways to communicate, whether they are standing on a roof with a white flag or illegally transmitting on regulated frequencies. Rules, regulations, policies, and state and federal laws will be ignored for the sake of saving lives and/or conducting welfare checks.
I read an article a couple of years ago where a federal spokesperson stated that in the event of a catastrophic event there would 'more than likely' be a moratorium or 'amnesty' for communications regulations allowing for emergency communications and usage by non-licensed civilians on federally mandated frequencies. It's going to happen anyway, so why waste time, taxpayer money, and vital resources that will be needed elsewhere? Makes perfect sense, but can you imagine the chaos?
JD
kf4anc