It's 'NEWS' to the Big Apple

The Big Apple and its Eastern suburbs will soon have a new emergency communications program. One which encourages the participation of all amateur radio operators to pass messages of any nature during a large-scale emergency.

Amateur Radio Newsline's Evi Simons is in the Big Apple with more:

Called the Neighborhood Emergency Watch or NEWS System, the program will allow any radio amateur in New York City and on Long Island to help friends and neighbors in time of disaster. This, by providing emergency communications when all other forms of messaging are unavailable.

According to the program administrators, during disasters, phone lines become overloaded, cell phones are rendered useless and most other public communication becomes nearly impossible to use. But with NEWS, Amateur Radio operators will be able to offer assistance by simply passing along messages to other hams who are able to get through to emergency services. This, using the hobby's long established network of Amateur Radio Emergency Service volunteers.

NEWS will also sponsor nets that will liaison with other emergency communications systems that might be concurrently with the NEWS operations. This means that NEWS will have the capability to participate in networks that ARES and other groups have established with first-responder groups.

Each borough, county and town will have a Local Operations Center, to be developed as the NEWS network evolves. Combined with the ham resident in the Metro New York and Long Island areas, these Local Operations Center will eventually tie into citywide and other logistical emergency nets to provide a venue and lines of communications to serve local needs.

Evi Simons
Amateur Radio Newsline

If you live in that area and if all this sounds exciting to you there is a lot more information about the NEWS program on-line at www.neighborhoodemergencywatchsystem.org

Source: Amateur Radio Newsline, N2YBB