Gulf Coast prepares for Gustav

As of Friday, although Tropical Storm Gustav is still several days away from landfall on the US mainland, disaster preparations are being rolled out along the Gulf Coast.

ARRL Leadership Officials, with the support of the ARRL Headquarters staff, are taking measures that will facilitate
emergency communications among ham volunteers, among hams and served agencies such as the Red Cross, and among Leadership Officials during the expected emergency and in its aftermath. ARRL Section Managers in the Gulf Coast states of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and
Texas are marshaling resources and setting up procedures that will take effect as the storm approaches the mainland.

Support from the ARRL Headquarters staff includes referrals from local and national media, shipment of Amateur Radio equipment via the Ham Aid program, Section Manager liaison and referral of inquiries from Amateur Radio operators.

Two special Web sites are available for Amateur Radio
operators looking for information and volunteer opportunities:
http://www.arrl.org/gustav/ and http://www.arrl.org/gustav/vol.html.
In addition, news will be updated on the ARRL Web site over the weekend and early next week, as Gustav moves toward the Gulf Coast.

On Thursday, as Gustav was slamming into Haiti and heading toward Jamaica, WX4NHC, the Amateur Radio station at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, activated at 12 PM EDT (1600Z). The NHC requested all land based stations as well as ships at sea in the areas affected to
send them weather data (measured or estimated) and damage reports.

A post to their Web site stated: "If you are in the affected area and normally monitor on a local Net on VHF, 40 or 80 meters, we would appreciate your checking into the HWN NET or EchoLink/IRLP Net once per hour to receive the latest Hurricane Advisories and to report your local conditions. Please do not venture outside during the hurricane to gather
weather data."

In addition, the VoIP Hurricane Net activated Thursday at 11 AM EDT (1500Z), according to a post by Jim Palmer, KB1KQW, VoIP-WX Net Scheduler.

Also on Thursday, FEMA posted a news release that said, in part: "The Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is coordinating plans and preparatory activities of numerous federal agencies in close communication with state, tribal and local officials as Tropical Storm Gustav threatens to return to hurricane
strength prior to impacting Gulf Coast states. All residents in the region are encouraged to make personal preparations. Information is available at www.Ready.gov on how families and individuals can best prepare before the storm.

"FEMA and its federal partners are in close communications with states along its potential path in order to review plans, pre-station assets and personnel, and respond to any request for assistance. FEMA's work with states using a Gap Analysis tool to determine in advance of storms where federal assistance is most likely to be needed has helped federal and state agencies to develop pre-scripted mission assignments and other contingency plans to help improve response and recovery efforts."

The news release also provides details on preparations now underway by several other agencies, including the American Red Cross and the Army Corps of Engineers.

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal declared a state of emergency for his state on Wednesday, and he activated 3000 National Guard troops, with more on call. The state of Mississippi declared a state of emergency on Thursday. Governor Haley Barbour stated, in part: "I urge all Mississippians to please take this storm seriously. One of the most important lessons we learned after Hurricane Katrina was that there is no substitute for awareness and self-help, especially in the days before the hurricane is predicted to hit."

Source: The American Radio Relay League