[BARC-List] Statewide Hurricane Drille- Monday 8/4 7pm

[Dan Malloy]

Hello to All,I got this via the Western Mass. ARES list, but it's Statewide, 
so I though it would be important to the members of the BARC-list as well.

73,

DE Dan, KA1RDZ



Hi Folks,

As you may have heard, Mass. RACES, EMA ARES and WMA ARES are sponsoring a
Statewide Hurricane Drill on Monday, August 4th from 7pm to 9pm. This drill
will be similar to past hurriane drills with a big twist - It will really 
push
digital communications (Winlink 2000 - WL2K) as the backbone liaison path up
and down our organizations.

As in the past, the goal is to have individual communities' Emergency
Management Agencies be served by EmComm volunteers. The situation will be a
simulated hurricane striking the area and the subsequent response to such an
event. Instructions and requests will come down from the state level
soliciting replies from the participants.

The operational concept of the drill is that the usual VHF nets will occur 
as
in the past. The nets will broadcast instructional messages and solicit
replies from individual communities. However, the messages going to and from
the regional/district (and higher) levels will enter and leave the nets
primarily via WL2K. Communities will send messages to the appropriate MEMA
Region Office, DEC and NWS Taunton. They will do this directly via WL2K or 
via
the digital liaison(s) assigned to the nets.

The official drill documents will be released within the next few days.
I will forward them out for your review at that time. We will be looking
for NCSes and digital liaison stations. Now is a great opportunity to get
your stations running on Winlink 2000. Please contact your EmComm leaders
for more information.

Thanks!

John, N2YHK
WMA SEC