Hurricane Watch Net facing storm's challenges

With hurricanes threatening almost at the rate of one per week since mid-August, the Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) has had a busy time of things.

Following a brief respite after seven straight days in operation, the HWN reactivated on 14.325 MHz at week's end for Hurricane Ivan - a powerful and dangerous storm that attained Category 5 level this week before throttling
back to a Category 4 storm.

After wreaking havoc in the Windward Islands, Grenada, Trinidad and the northern coast of Venezuela, Ivan was expected to hit Jamaica by early September 11 - if not sooner. Reports to the net from maritime mobiles, primarily in Grenada, indicated severe damage from Ivan, which was packing 145 MPH winds as it approached Jamaica.

"We will be listening for reporting stations in Jamaica before turning our attention to Cuba, which is next in the path," HWN Manager Mike Pilgrim, K5MP, said. He said he anticipates the HWN will remain active during 20-meter band openings until Ivan no longer represents a threat to
populated areas.

If Ivan continues on its current track as of week's end, it will be in the Straits of Florida by September 13, according to National Hurricane Center projections. Pilgrim, who lives in Boca Raton in southern Florida, said the storm appears to be a threat to the entire state. Authorities already have issued a mandatory evacuation order for tourists and mobile home dwellers in the Keys, he said, but given the chancy logistics of evacuating, Pilgrim is planning to hunker down for the storm, should it arrive.

Pilgrim says he just got electricity back September 6 - he has an auxiliary generator for his household and a deep-cycle battery for his ham gear - but he didn't have telephone service, including cellular, until September 8. He says half of his community remains in the dark.

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.

The recent hurricane activations also have generated an unprecedented level of activity on the HWN Web site, Pilgrim said. As a result, the HWN has issued a plea for contributions to purchase additional Web capacity.

The Hurricane Watch Net Web site offers access to the latest weather forecasts as well as storm graphics.

The Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) on 14.265 MHz closed down at September 7 at 2100 UTC following five straight days of operation in response to Hurricane Frances. During that time, the net
handled 181 health-and-welfare inquiries.

"I continue to marvel at the stellar effort that amateur operators give across the nation when catastrophe strikes," said SATERN National Coordinator Pat McPherson, WW9E. Some SATERN volunteer operators put in 14-hour days to guarantee that people were helped, he said. As of week's
end, SATERN was standing by to assist if needed in response to Hurricane Ivan

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

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