Storm-weary Amateur Radio volunteers
confront hurricane's aftermath
Amateur Radio this past week once again was part of a storm relief and
recovery effort in the wake of Hurricane Jeanne - the fourth storm in
six weeks to hit Florida.
Jeanne made landfall September 25 some 5 miles southeast of Stuart -
not far from where Hurricane Frances struck September 5. Authorities blamed
the storm - a Category 3 hurricane with 120 MPH winds - for at least six
deaths, and the state was declared a major disaster area. The
Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) - whose members tracked the storm up through
the Caribbean - wrapped up three full days of communication support September
26.
"Since the wind field was much larger than Frances', Jeanne knocked
out recently restored power to much of east and central Florida quite
early and easily," said HWN Assistant Manager Bobby Graves, KB5HAV.
He noted that since debris cleaned up after Hurricane Frances had not
yet been picked up, Hurricane Jeanne had an "abundance of projectiles"
at her disposal.
Other reports indicated that after Frances denuded much of the region's
vegetation, Jeanne came along and tore off roofs, then dumped heavy rain
into the vulnerable houses and buildings. The storm disrupted conventional
telecommunications and left some 2.5 million homes without electrical
power.
Over the storm's course, HWN members received reports throughout the
northwestern Bahamas and eastern and central Florida. Many areas of the
Bahamas also were still recovering from Hurricane Frances. As Marti Brown,
KF4TRG/C6A, reported to the HWN: "Let me tell you that this storm
was virtual hell."
During severe storms, the HWN works hand-in-hand with WX4NHC
at the National Hurricane Center in Miami to gather ground-level weather
data and damage reports from Amateur Radio volunteers in a storm's path.
The net relays these to forecasters via WX4NHC, which regularly checks
into the net and also disseminates weather updates.
Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) volunteers were at the ready before
Hurricane Jeanne arrived, supplementing communication at emergency operations
centers and shelters set up for evacuees. ARRL Southern Florida
Section Emergency Coordinator Jim Goldsberry, KD4GR, said Indian River
County appeared to be the hardest hit. ARES teams in Palm Beach, Martin,
St Lucie, Brevard and Indian River counties also assisted American Red
Cross and Salvation Army relief and damage assessment efforts.
Northern Florida SEC Nils Millergren, WA4NDA, reported that operators
handled shelter duty in Flagler, Orange, Seminole, Lake and Volusia counties.
The Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) on 14.265 MHz
handled health-and-welfare traffic in the aftermath of the storm on the
air and via its Web site. Special sessions of the Southern Florida ARES
Net were called up on 7242 kHz.
August and September have seen unprecedented activity, said the HWN's
Graves, who thanked all stations that participated in the recent activation.
Noting that four major tropical storms have not struck the same state
in the same year since 1886, Grave said, "Let us hope and pray that
record is not broken this year."
Source: ARRL Letter - courtesy of The
American Radio Relay League
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