ARRL headquarters responding to Hurricane Katrina on several fronts

As the magnitude of Hurricane Katrina's devastation in human terms became evident along the US Gulf Coast, activities at ARRL Headquarters ramped up into crisis mode.

The immediate challenges were many and seemed to multiply by the minute. Under the leadership of ARRL Chief Operating Officer Harold Kramer, WJ1B - an experienced Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) Emergency Coordinator - and Special Assistant to the CEO Dave Patton, NN1N, ARRL staff members mustered to focus their energies on responding to the needs of ham radio volunteers. Kramer says the overarching goal at ARRL Headquarters has been to support its Field Organization of ARES and other volunteers.

"Their main job is to support the served agencies, such as the American Red Cross, The Salvation Army, FEMA," Kramer said. "Because this is over such a widespread area, a lot of the Amateur Radio infrastructure in that area got destroyed, so we're having to bring in operators from further out - as well as equipment." With a lack of communication cited as the largest obstacle to rescue and relief efforts, ARES members--with support from Headquarters--began bridging the gap immediately.

The sheer size of the geographical region affected by the disaster and the dearth of communication put ARRL Headquarters in the somewhat unusual role of serving as a clearing house for various aspects of the response.
Activities include helping to recruit volunteers, coordinating equipment donations, and working with regulatory agencies and the news media. A daily conference call has brought together Headquarters personnel and Section Managers (SMs) and Section Emergency Coordinators (SECs) from the affected region to provide situation reports, compare notes and request any assistance they need from ARRL Headquarters.

"We don't normally have to do that much support for the Field Organization," Kramer pointed out.

ARRL has been receiving donations and offers of equipment and services for use in the Hurricane Katrina relief effort. Some two dozen members of the Amateur Radio industry and individual radio amateurs have contributed gear.
The donations were made as gifts to ARRL, which is redirecting these resources as needed to the disaster zone. Some donors have offered valuable services and supplies.

"The ARRL would like to thank everyone who has generously donated Amateur Radio equipment, accessories and supplies," said Kramer. Some of the equipment already on hand has been or soon will be deployed to assist relief
agencies such as the American Red Cross as well as state and local emergency managers, he said.

Key ARRL staff members have been meeting on a daily basis--including over the Labor Day holiday weekend--to help keep track of events and relief-related initiatives as they progress. Over the Labor Day holiday weekend, ARRL Headquarters employees volunteered to staff Maxim Memorial Station W1AW around the clock and to keep telephone (860-594-0200) and e-mail communication open <katrina@arrl.org>;.

The activity at W1AW also provided a focal point for local news media. On more than one occasion, TV crews showed up at HQ for a story about how Amateur Radio was doing its part in the disaster. Major "media hits" included a favorable article in the Wall Street Journal September 6. Another
turned up on MSNBC's Web site, and a third on the Computerworld Web site.

ARRL Sales and Marketing Manager Dennis Motschenbacher, K7BV, volunteered to head into the hurricane strike zone. He checked in at the American Red Cross ham radio support volunteer center in Montgomery, Alabama, on September 6.
Motschenbacher has a complete HF station as well as sufficient supplies to stay in the field for a couple of weeks. He was expected to be deployed to help in Mississippi.

ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager Allen Pitts, W1AGP, also has headed to Montgomery to coordinate with national news media there.

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

Other recent stories..

Other News Stories

• Get our news headlines for your website - click here
• Submit your news story - click here