[LeArc] ARLX002 Amateurs Respond to Pennsylvania's Big Chill

[Joe Rossmiller]

SB SPCL @ ARL $ARLX002
ARLX002 Amateurs Respond to Pennsylvania's Big Chill

ZCZC AX02
QST de W1AW =20
Special Bulletin 2  ARLX002
>From ARRL Headquarters =20
Newington CT  March 5, 2003
To all radio amateurs=20

SB SPCL ARL ARLX002
ARLX002 Amateurs Respond to Pennsylvania's Big Chill

Amateur Radio Emergency Service and Radio Amateur Civil Emergency
Service (ARES/RACES) team members in southern York County,
Pennsylvania, activated March 3 after a natural gas shutdown forced
residents to evacuate homes. Two dozen amateurs took shifts to
assist the American Red Cross, staffed the local emergency
operations center and provided other necessary communication.

York County ARRL Emergency Coordinator Kerry Smeltzer, KA3KAR,
expected the activation to continue through March 5 as the utility
company works to correct the problem, an apparent regulator failure.
Thousands were affected, with temperatures in the teens and 20s.

The natural gas problem, which occurred around 11 AM March 3, cut
off the main supply serving the communities of Red Lion and
Dallastown. Estimates vary as to the number of residents directly
impacted by the gas failure, but they run anywhere from 5000 to
10,000.
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In addition to the ARES/RACES teams activated in York County,
Smeltzer said, ARES teams in surrounding counties and from nearby
Maryland are on standby in case they are needed. "I'm going back for
my third cycle," he said. "We hope that this thing will be wrapping
up March 5." Typical shifts were eight hours. ARES used the W3HZU
and WB3ERZ VHF repeaters.
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