It seems from limited experience that there's a gap in the ranges which can be covered be ham between repeater range and typical HF ranges. It's even worse if the repeaters are down. Coviring one state sized area looks like a real problem. I think I understand why the military is so invested in satellite comms.

Does anyone know how long the repeaters might typically stay up in the event of a long term power outage? Do any have solar back up power?