[KYHAM] ARES & Local Response

[Jeff Martin]

I read with interest the QST 3-part series of the Williamson County
Tennessee implementation of Winlink 2000 and other technologies in support
of the local Emergency Management.  What a nice system; very elaborate using
several different technologies and a lot of folks put in a lot of long hours
to get it going.  But I wonder what the motivation was?

 

I recently spent almost two weeks assisting at the Gulf Coast in support of
the Katrina relief effort; I worked with the Red Cross at several shelters
dispatched through Montgomery AL.  The area I worked in had no
communications, all cells phones and land lines were inoperable.  Anything
that had an elaborate infrastructure was dead.  Most of the local Hams were
not assisting with EM Comms, outsiders were.  The local Hams were taking
care of their families, etc.  This was my first time involved in something
like this and I learned a lot but there has been something bothering me I
wanted to get this groups thoughts on:

 

Should we not expect that in a Disaster  the local Hams will "Stand-Down"
taking caring of their own personal needs and the needs of their families?
For the most part this was the case at the Gulf.  Amateur's from outside the
area came in, bringing with them portable equipment, and set up the
communications for the Red Cross to include a team from Colorado who set up
a portable repeater.  Thus one may conclude that in non-disaster times local
ARES groups should train locally but train to mobilize somewhere else
preparing to encounter no operational repeaters and no operational
commercial systems, etc.  I am confident is saying that if the Williamson
system had been installed at the Gulf, it would have been rendered, for the
most part, inoperative, mainly because of the repeaters and towers.  None of
the Ham repeaters were working until several days later because of bent
antennas and water damage.

 

So the question is, why such an elaborate system when it is most likely, at
the time of greatest need, not going to be operational?  None of the other
commercial systems at the Gulf were.  Are not the outsiders going to come in
and provide communications while the locals are taking care of their
families?  When the outsiders come in, if part of the elaborate system is
still working, will they have the digital equipment necessary to
communicate?

 

I believe what Williamson County has done is a great achievement for Ham
Radio (you have to start somewhere), I'm just not sure of its practicality
in an actual emergency.  Am I wrong?

 

Jeff Martin, WB4JM

Bowling Green