Ham radio "only reliable communication"
at Hurricane Charley Ground Zero
Once again, Amateur Radio has proven its value in an emergency. With
conventional telecommunication systems unreliable and power still out
after the Category 4 Hurricane Charley blasted across the Florida Peninsula
August 13, Amateur Radio has proven to be a communication
mainstay.
"The only reliable communication we have here is Amateur Radio,"
ARRL West Central Florida Section Manager Dave Armbrust, AE4MR, told ARRL
earlier this week. He was one of the three dozen ARES volunteers at the
Charlotte
County command post. "We're out in the field trying to handle so
many different things that it's almost overwhelming," he said five
days into the activation.
By week's end, the need for additional ARES volunteers in the Hurricane
Charley relief and recovery effort had stabilized. Communications and
Warning Officer John Fleming, WD4FFX, of the Florida Division of Emergency
Management (FDEM) told ARRL that ham radio volunteers already on duty
in the five most severely affected counties were holding their own in
maintaining necessary emergency communication. But he advised Amateur
Radio volunteers to remain at the ready, just in case, and recommended
that ARES teams, clubs and individuals work through their ARES Section
Emergency Coordinator.
The FDEM says Hurricane Charley caused two dozen deaths and nearly 4000
injuries, and almost a quarter-million residents were still without power
at week's end. Other reports indicate that as many as 10,000 homes were
badly damaged or destroyed.
The most severely stricken communities are in largely rural areas of
western and central Florida made up of smaller towns. Among other storm
relief duties, hams have been part of an effort to check on residents
and determine what they need and to "make sure everyone's okay,"
Armbrust
said.
Amateur Radio operators have been handling emergency traffic and assisting
the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in setting up HF communication
to the state emergency operations center in the capital of Tallahassee.
ARES also has provided communication for search-and-rescue teams and supported
American Red Cross and The Salvation Army humanitarian relief efforts.
In addition, ARES operators handled outgoing health-and-welfare traffic
from storm victims now taking refuge in shelters, provided or supplemented
public safety communication and even took on some dispatching duties.
Amateur Radio volunteers also deployed to hospitals, some of which have
experienced spotty communication. Several VHF and UHF repeaters have been
buzzing with emergency traffic all week.
Armbrust emphasized that Hurricane Charley cut a broad swath across Florida,
and the devastation was widespread. "This looks like a war zone,"
he remarked. Hot, humid weather has aggravated the relief effort, especially
for emergency medical service personnel who not only are
dealing with storm-related health issues but with those resulting from
the heat.
ARES teams from Florida Miami-Dade, Martin, St Lucie, Broward, Okeechobee
and Palm Beach counties deployed to relieve or assist the amateur operators
on duty in the affected communities.
In Sarasota County, Ron Wetjen, WD4AHZ, has been working at the county
EOC and assigning volunteers to assist in neighboring Charlotte County,
where Armbrust has been holding down the fort.
"We've had offers of help from guys in Montana, Ohio, and New York!"
Wetjen said August 19. "We have a couple from Tennessee here now,
with two more on the way for the weekend."
The Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) on 14.265 MHz
spent nearly five days in continuous operation. It's also used Amateur
Radio for its logistical communications. The Salvation Army has been
providing meals, household necessities and other assistance to residents
displaced by the storm and has been relying on its own Amateur Radio resources.
SATERN also has taken on responsibility for health-and-welfare inquiries,
both via Amateur Radio and through its Web
site.
In advance of the storm, SKYWARN teams were active the Hurricane Watch
Net and WX4NHC at the National Hurricane Center cooperated to gather ground-level
weather data and damage reports.
"It seems as if the Amateur Radio world is listening and waiting
to help when an event such as this occurs," observed SATERN National
Director Pat McPherson, WW9E, "and it's edifying to realize the positive
impact of their dedication to the task of helping others."
Source: ARRL Letter - courtesy of The
American Radio Relay League
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