Petrelis Files

My Reply to NBC's Williams: Try Blimps

I didn't know NBC's anchor Brian Williams has a blog, but glad I found it today because of these points he makes today:

"Complaints are still rampant in New Orleans about a lack of information. It's one of many running themes of the past week: There were no announcements in the Superdome during the storm, none to direct people after the storm, no official word (via bullhorn, leaflets or any other means) during the week-long, on-foot migration (and eventual stagnation) that defined life in the downtown section of the city for those first few days. One can't help but think that a single-engine plane towing a banner over the city would have been immeasurably helpful in both crowd and rumor control."

Williams got me thinking, well, what about blimps? Wouldn't it have been great if they were deployed last week to spread accurate information to the victims stuck in New Orleans? I think so, which is why I Googled blimps and Katrina to see what was out there about using blimps to communicate in the recovery and rescue.

Found this story, but like so much else with America's response to Katrina, it really isn't about saving lives and doing the right thing.

Read on.

Goodyear blimps to carry message

Airships at Ohio State, UCLA games will tell crowds of ways to help

By Mike Rasor

Beacon Journal, Sept 3

The Hurricane Katrina relief effort just found two more allies.

They are 192 feet long and 59.5 feet high and hold 202,700 pounds of helium each.

Two Goodyear blimps -- Spirit of Goodyear from Akron and the Spirit of America based in Carson, Calif. -- will fly their routes to and from college football games today as normal, but their electronic signs will tell people how they can donate money or assist hurricane-stricken areas.

The message will be featured as the blimps hover over the Ohio State-Miami University game in Columbus and the UCLA-San Diego State game in San Diego.
[snip]

If only the blimps could be used NOW to get messages of all sorts to folks stranded on the ground, it would be one more way of helping the victims.