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Within hours, the two wireless equipment specialists were being flown by the military to Baton Rouge, La. Later, a helicopter dropped them onto the roof of a 40-story building in downtown New
Orleans. The Tampa Bay area residents' orders: Protect yourselves and restore wireless communications for police and other emergency workers in New Orleans as soon as possible.
Thompson, 48, lives in Apollo Beach and works for Goff Communications of Bradenton, a cellular tower construction company. He has done similar work restoring communications towers after
hurricanes in Florida. Goff is president.
The two men had brought antennas and tools and set to work soon after being dropped atop the skyscraper. By 4 a.m., they had restored some emergency wireless service.
``They have a temporary generator that runs on natural gas that's powering the antennas, but they don't know how long that's going to sustain things,'' said Luke Drazek, tower services manager
for Goff Communications.
The military may drop off a better diesel generator soon to help speed Thompson and Goff's efforts, Drazek said.
Thompson and Goff are among the first wave of workers being sent into the wrecked city to help restore communications and other utilities.
For now, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is housing Thompson and Goff in the New Orleans Aquarium, which is being used as a temporary shelter for emergency workers. Armed police guard
the site.
It's unclear how long the men will remain in the city to help fix cell tower communications, which are needed to restore order in the city.
Thompson's wife, Mary Beth, who is a bookkeeper for The Tampa Tribune, said she last heard from her husband Friday afternoon.
``He had to walk around the Superdome in water up to his knees to a miliary helicopter pad. ... He said the smell was atrocious, like a landfill,'' she said.
Reporter Richard Mullins can be reached at (813) 259-7919.