And the lack of communication hampered their efforts.

“Unfortunately, disasters bring these things into focus,” said Col. Ronnie Johnson, the National Guard’s chief information officer and commander of the 256th Brigade Combat Team.

Twenty months later and on the eve of the 2007 hurricane season, all of that has changed.

Not only can soldiers now talk to each other through a new high-tech communication system, but the National Guard can also bridge the way for other emergency agencies to talk on the same system.

“Before this, all of the systems were used independently,” Johnson said. “Now we’re using bridging technology to let everyone talk in a disaster.”

As an example, he said, there were 70 police agencies that came into Louisiana to help after the hurricane and only two of them could talk to each other.

But, perhaps more importantly, beyond simply talking on radios or cell phones, soldiers now have the capability of transmitting and receiving images and data.

“That’s the way we make decisions — by moving information,” Johnson said. “Without it, it’s difficult.”

If traditional communication systems are wiped out, as they were in Katrina, the Guard would now be able to access the Internet and tap into such Web sites as Army Knowledge Online, a secure military site that would allow Louisiana soldiers to write and transmit images to show the extent of the disaster immediately to supporting military units outside of the state.

“Now, we’ll be able to do live feeds off of helicopters,” Johnson said. “If you can get on the Internet, you can tie into those live feeds,” he added.

“The Louisiana National Guard is a center of excellence,” said Declan J. Ganley, chairman and chief executive officer of Rivada Networks of Colorado Springs, Colo.

Ganley provided one of the emergency communication systems — known as an ICE-S — which provides local and satellite telephone networks along with computer capability to the Guard.

“The approach to communications being used in Louisiana is one of the most innovative systems because of its capabilities and in terms of cost effectiveness,” Ganley said.

Johnson said the U.S. Congress gave the Guard $7 million in supplemental funding after Hurricane Katrina. The Guard also was given communications equipment purchased by the National Guard Bureau.

“Still, $ 7 million doesn’t go a long way if you don’t use it correctly,” Johnson said.

To get the most for its money, the Guard decided to use commercial systems and integrate them with military systems.

As an example, Johnson said, the Guard purchased some new 700 megahertz radios which are more versatile and powerful than the old 800 megahertz radios.

But instead of building towers and repeaters for radio transmissions, the Guard is using the Louisiana State Police radio system.

“We don’t have the money to buy infrastructure,” Johnson said. “We use what’s out there and save a whole lot of money.”

On Saturday, the National Guard tested the communications systems in a statewide exercise in which it simulated a Category 2 hurricane striking Vermilion, Iberia and Lafayette parishes.

“Everything has been centered in New Orleans,” Johnson said. “This was an effort to show the rest of the state what we’re doing.”

And beyond the minor glitches the Guard expected, the system worked well, Johnson said.

The Guard also tested its new “Lilly Pad” system — which is a new way to take care of evacuees.

If another disaster strikes, instead of dropping evacuees off at the sides of interstate highways — which occurred during Hurricane Katrina — evacuees would be taken to “Lilly Pads” — preplanned staging areas, where evacuees would be screened for medical problems, provided with food and water and eventually taken to a more permanent shelter or medical facility.

The exercise included state Department Wildlife and Fisheries officers.

“The Guard, the Coast Guard and Wildlife and Fisheries are the state’s search-and-rescue agencies,” Johnson said. “Wildlife and Fisheries is the lead search and rescue agency, so it’s important that all of these agencies are able talk in a disaster.”

Wildlife and Fisheries agents agreed.

“It’s good to get coordinated,” said Lt. Darryl Moore, an enforcement officer for the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. “In the next disaster, we’ll all be able to talk to each other and coordinate our efforts. It will make a huge difference.”

At the Guard’s headquarters in Camp Beauregard near Alexandria, soldiers were monitoring Saturday’s exercise using communications networks and a bank of computers, which included large electronic wall maps.

The emergency communications network at the camp, which comes in a package that includes a tent, floor, air conditioner can provide capabilities to 20 laptops, 10 desktop computers, five wireless computers and 29 telephones. It even has a video phone.

To make the simulation as real as possible, the power was shut off at the portion of the camp participating in the exercise with soldiers using generators.

As the exercise drew to a close, Guard members were upbeat.

“We’d rather find out what problems we have on a clear day like this rather than during a hurricane,” Johnson said.

And while pleased with the technological advances, he said the refining process would continue.

“We’re never going to say it’s good enough,” Johnson said. “It will be a constant process. We’re trying to stay on the cutting edge of where technology is going and stay as close to the edge as possible.”