Hurricane Net, WX4NHC continue helping forecasters track Hurricane Frances

The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) on 14.325 MHz this week has been working hand-in-hand with WX4NHC at the National Hurricane Center (NHC) to relay weather data and damage reports as a downgraded Hurricane Frances
continues on what appears to be an inevitable collision with Florida's Atlantic Coast.

As of September 3 at 1800 UTC, the National Hurricane Center said Frances was "relentlessly lashing central and western Bahamas" while slowly heading for Florida.

"We continue to have torrential rains," Marti Brown, KF4TRG/C6A, on Abaco reported to the HWN net control station September 3. "It's essentially a whiteout condition." Her report, typical of those being gathered, may portend what Southern Florida can expect. Another Amateur Radio report from the Bahamas indicated that seas were breaching the dunes of the beach, and residents were evacuating.

All such reports, typically including real-time measured weather data, are passed along to WX4NHC at the National Hurricane Center for forecasters to review. HWN operators have been handling and relaying all reports with
businesslike efficiency, despite occasional QRM - some of it possibly intentional.

HWN Manager Mike Pilgrim, K5MP, in Boca Raton, Florida, briefly checked into the net using an indoor antenna "in case we need it," he told net control. The latest National Hurricane Center forecast is available via the HWN Web site, which includes graphics.

During hurricanes and severe weather emergencies, trained HWN members work in cooperation with WX4NHC to relay observed or measured weather data and damage reports to forecasters via Amateur Radio. The ground-level weather
data assist NHC forecasters in predicting a storm's path and behavior.

Frances was downgraded September 3 to a Category 3 hurricane, with winds of 115 MPH with higher gusts. Its forward motion was expected to continue to slow, however, perhaps buying some time for Floridians preparing for or
escaping the storm's anticipated wrath.

As the state continued to recover from Hurricane Charley in mid-August, Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) teams throughout Florida this week got ready for another punishing storm. Some communities hard-hit by Charley are in the potential path of Hurricane Frances.

Special sessions of the Southern Florida ARES Net (SFAN) to coordinate response activities (Florida Midday Traffic Net and Tropical Phone Traffic Net, both on 7242 kHZ) were called up this week. Southern Florida ARES Section Emergency Coordinator Jim Goldsberry, KD4GR, says the Broward County Emergency Preparedness Net activated September 2 from the Broward County emergency operations center (EOC).

Palm Beach County also was recruiting ARES volunteers for shelter and EOC communicator duty. Palm Beach County RACES Officer Mark Filla, KS4VT, reported coastline and mobile home evacuations were under way.

"This is not a drill," emphasized Polk County Assistant Emergency Coordinator Wayne Miles, KG4TCJ, in a message to the Florida ARES reflector. Among the areas assaulted by Hurricane Charley, Polk County ARES has begun conducting informational nets (146.985 MHz, 127.3 Hz tone) at the top of every hour.

Earlier this week, Indian River County Emergency Management's Nathan McCollum put that county's Auxiliary Communication Services (ACS) - a Citizen Corps group - on a "Level 1" alert. The ACS includes Amateur Radio and REACT communication resources.

SATERN, the Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network, planned to activate September 4 at 1400 UTC on 14.265 MHz. SATERN will handle emergency and health-and-welfare traffic for those attempting to get news of friend and relatives in the affected areas. SATERN also accepts
specific H&W inquiries via its Web page

A fairly new all-CW entity, the National Radio Emergency Net (NREN), activated September 3 in response to Hurricane Frances to monitor 14,050 kHz and 7050 kHz for health-and-welfare, emergency traffic and hurricane information throughout the weekend. NREN is geared to low-power, portable and mobile stations.

ARRL West Central Florida Section Manager Dave Armbrust, AE4MR, said Hillsborough County and Sarasota County ARES were preparing for ARES Mutual Assistance Team (ARESMAT) deployments. "If your county is not directly hit, please be ready to lend a hand elsewhere if requested," he advised.

In a message to the Tampa Amateur Radio Club Hillsborough County of Emergency Management Director Larry Gispert, KR4X, said that many emergency workers were "very impressed" by what Amateur Radio volunteers were able to accomplish during Hurricane Charley.

"In this day and age of ubiquitous Internet access and prolific cell phone usage, it is still amazing that when the chips are down the only reliable form of communication is a bunch of hams with their radios," Gispert said.

Source: ARRL Letter - courtesy of The American Radio Relay League

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