[ARRL-OK] More Amateur Radio Volunteers Needed in Hurricane's Wake

[Mark D. Conklin N7XYO]

More Amateur Radio Volunteers Needed in Hurricane's Wake

NEWINGTON, CT, Sep 6, 2004--Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) and Radio
Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) teams all along Florida's eastern
coast--in place in advance of Hurricane Frances' holiday weekend
arrival--continue to aid the response and recovery effort. The Category 2
storm made landfall Saturday in the vicinity of Stuart. After diminishing to
a tropical storm, Frances traversed the peninsula, exited into the Gulf of
Mexico, and--as the National Hurricane Center reported at 1800 UTC--was
coming ashore near St Marks in the Florida panhandle packing 65 MPH winds.
Palm Beach County Emergency Coordinator Dave Messinger, N4QPM, today issued
a call for relief operators for his and other affected coastal counties.

"We've had several people on duty for two or three days now without relief,"
Messinger said. "We could use another 6 to 12 folks." Messinger said he
needs at least two operators with HF privileges to help in the Palm Beach
County Emergency Operations Center (EOC), where he's working with Southern
Florida Assistant Section Manager Jeff Beals, WA4AW, and RACES Officer Mark
Filla, KS4VT. Messinger said other counties hit by the wide-ranging and
punishing storm may have additional needs.

Volunteers may call the County Warning Point, 561-712-6428 or contact him
directly, 561-315-9161. Messinger said he's in contact with the other
affected counties via HF and VHF.

Messinger said power remains out to approximately 90 percent of Palm Beach
County, and more than half of the shelters already have been closed. But
shelter communicators still are needed at those still open. He said ARES
also has been working with the American Red Cross, which is starting to set
up distribution points to aid hurricane victims.

The Salvation Army also has mounted a huge response and relief effort in
Florida and has been making use of Amateur Radio as well. The Salvation Army
Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN)--active for the past three days on
14.265 MHz--has been handling emergency and health-and-welfare traffic.
SATERN also accepts H&W inquiries via its Web site. http://www.satern.org/

Messinger anticipates the ARES/RACES activation in Palm Beach County could
last another three or four days, but he said those in the EOC already have
begun keeping a close eye on the progress of Hurricane Ivan, which appears
poised to blow into Florida this weekend.