[Ares-races] Communications Emergency Rescinded

[Lloyd A Colston]

>From the ARRL Newsletter:
Amateurs in Mississippi rallied to help deal with the effects of former
tropical storm Isidore, which came ashore September 26. According to
Mississippi Section Manager Malcolm Keown, W5XX, Isidore dumped at least
nine inches of rain on the state and caused power outages, tree damage
and
lowland flooding.
 
Keown said Louisiana, Mississippi and South Texas joined forces according
to a previous agreement and, earlier this week, activated the West Gulf
Amateur Radio Emergency Service Net (7285 kHz in the daytime and 3873 kHz
at night) in preparation for the storm's arrival. The net remained in
operation all week.
 
Jackson Metro Emergency Coordinator Ben Jones, AC5SU, organized an
Amateur
Radio Red Cross net, and all five Red Cross shelters in the area were
equipped with ham radio communication and prepared to keep in touch with
one another as well as with the Red Cross Emergency Operations Center in
Jackson. "Red Cross officials were very excited about this" Keown said.
 
At week's end, the FCC rescinded a general communications emergency that
had included Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.
"Amateurs
may resume using the frequencies 3873, 3965, 7247 and 7285 kHz (plus or
minus 3 kHz)," said Joe Casey, deputy chief of the FCC Enforcement
Bureau.
"The Federal Communications Commission wishes to thank everyone for their
cooperation and dedicated amateur service."
 
On September 25, Jackson County Civil Defense/Emergency Management
Director Todd Adams, KD5POK, requested activation of the local ARES/RACES
team to support the American Red Cross and Jackson County government
agencies. Jackson County EC and RACES Officer Ira Groff, NN5AF, says the
Jackson County Emergency Net was called up on a local VHF repeater, and
24
ARES/RACES members and 11 other operators checked in to provide support.
 
Meanwhile, Sheryl Mathieu, KB5ZIB, Groff, and his wife, Evelyn, KB5ZIA,
staffed the emergency operations center in Pascagoula. "We were in direct
communications with the National Hurricane Center in Miami and the
National Weather Service in Slidell, Louisiana, on HF," Groff said.
Thanks
to the fact that Adams is a certified meteorologist, Groff added, the
Mississippi amateurs were able to provide vital weather data to the NHC
and the NWS.
 
The Red Cross opened four shelters in the county, and some 180 people
took
refuge during the emergency. Seven amateurs were deployed to support
shelter communications, while two others maintained contact from at the
American Red Cross building in Pascagoula, Groff said. The emergency
activation wrapped up around 7:30 AM on September 26.
 
Northern Florida Section Emergency Coordinator Nils Millergren, WA4NDA,
reported this week that ARES members were activated in three counties and
on standby in another. ARES members staffed both the EOC and two shelters
in Okaloosa County and one shelter in Walton County. ARES was active in
the EOC in Escambia County and remained on standby in Santa Rosa County.
 
The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) <http://www.hwn.org> and W4EHW
<http://www.fiu.edu/orgs/w4ehw/> at the National Hurricane Center in
Miami
secured September 26 after eight hours effort in support of tropical
storms Isidore and Lili, neither of which developed into hurricane status
as had been predicted but did produce heavy rains and serious flood
threats.

Lloyd Colston             Mayes County Emergency Management
Pryor, OK USA           http://www.geocities.com/mccem
         I love it when a good Plan comes together.
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