(CNN) See the treacherous area where rescuers are trying to save survivors comments on the difficulty rescuers have communicating with each other, caused by the destruction of cellular infrastructure.

FEMA relies on First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet), a specialized cellular system, which is hosted by AT&T. So when AT&T cells went down in Asheville, FirstNet went down too.

In a relatively flat region, there would have been a solution. Since Firstnet occupies the low frequency 4G LTE Band 14 (700 MHz), a single portable cell tower can cover a wide area. Not so in Appalachia, where  cell towers have to be carefully  placed to obtain even mediocre coverage.

There is a practical  industry approach to temporary erection of tall antenna structures – the tethered balloon. Even in Appalachia, at a height of 1500 to 3000 feet, a single balloon cell “tower” could offer substantial coverage, perhaps as much as 30% of normal.

The prerequisites:

• Pre-cleared mountain-top helicopter landing pad.
• Pre-constructed anchor point for the tether.
• Cell electronics mounted on a balloon, packaged for helo deployment.
• Diesel generator.
• Provision of backhaul link.
• Firmware integration into FirstNet.

FEMA, get cracking. This is not a very expensive proposition.