HAMNET Report

HAMNET is a voluntary group of South African radio amateurs who make their unique communication skills available to assist and help others in distress during and after disasters.
HAMNET is represented on the sub-committee of the South African Search & Rescue Organisation, and is also affiliated to IRESC.

They may be on 2 opposite sides of the globe, but two weather patterns – one off the coast of China and the other approaching the Gulf of Mexico, are cause for concern. 

In North America, it is the hurricane season. A tropical storm called Bonnie, formed near the Bahamas on Thursday and is on a path that will take it over the BP oil spill site, thereby hampering the operations currently on the go to seal the worst oil spill in history! 

The US National Hurricane Centre, naming the 2nd storm of the season was packing winds of 40 miles per hour or 65 kph.  Weather models project that the storm will pass south of the Florida Keys area, head into the Gulf and make landfall in Louisiana – crossing the oil spill area.

Forecasters are concerned that this season could be a bad season for hurricanes comparing it to 2005 when ‘Katrina’, ‘Rita’ and ‘Wilma’ caused havoc in the Gulf coast regions, cutting back on oil output and causing excessive damage when hitting land! We will follow this one with interest but hope that it stays just what it is at present, a severe tropical storm. 

However, over the China Sea, typhoon Chanthu struck China around 6am UTC on the 22nd of July and according to the Air Force Joint Typhoon Warning Centre and was accompanied by strong winds reaching speeds of 138kph. This storm had the potential of causing major storm surge along the coast, but no real damage to buildings.  But, mobile homes, unanchored shipping shrubbery and trees will be prone to the strong wind damage. There is also a flood warning as heavy rain will cause rivers to flood and could burst their banks thereby causing major damage to property alongside or on river banks. 

At the time of compiling this report, no information was available to confirm damage, any loss of life or how Typhoon Chanthu affected normal daily routines on main land China. 

Reporting for Hamnet this is Francois Botha – ZS6BUU.

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