[PHX-Skywarn] RE: [WX7PHX] New Mexcio Tornados
DON I BRAZIE
dibrazie at msn.com
Sat Mar 31 19:51:03 EST 2007
Maybe this should be sent to our legistators who are hesitating on the
HOA bill.
Don
______________________________________________________________
From: Allen Sklar <ajsklar at w7as.com>
Reply-To: For Ham Radio Operatiors In The Phoenix Arizona Sky Warn
Program <wx7phx at mailman.qth.net>
To: WX7PHX Mail Server <wx7phx at mailman.qth.net>,Phx-SkyWarn Mail
Server <phx-skywarn at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: [WX7PHX] New Mexcio Tornados
Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2007 15:00:42 -0700
>This Post Via The Phoenix NWS WX7PHX Skywarn Mail Server
>+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>
>
>
>Hello All
>
>Via the ARRL Newsletter...
>
>Allen Sklar
>Tempe AZ USA
>
>
>
>***************
>The ARRL Letter
>Vol. 26, No. 13
>March 30, 2007
>***************
>
>
>
>==>HAM RADIO READINESS PROVIDES SAFETY MARGIN IN NEW MEXICO
TORNADO
>OUTBREAK
>
>Dozens of Amateur Radio volunteers in New Mexico did what they do
best
>Friday, March 23, when nasty weather threatening eastern New
Mexico
>eventually spawned 13 tornados, from Tatum to Logan. A day before
the
>storms, SKYWARN Coordinator and National Weather Service (NWS)
>meteorologist
>Keith Hayes, KC5KH, at the Albuquerque NWS office (WX5ABQ) warned
New
>Mexico's Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) district emergency
>coordinators and county emergency managers of the potential for
severe
>weather. ARES teams and SKYWARN weather spotters consequently were
>already
>in the field and ready for action when the string of tornados
struck.
>The
>early warning, aided by trained spotters' accurate
minute-by-minute
>reports
>to the NWS and local authorities, provided an additional margin of
>safety
>for residents.
>
>"The teamwork by the ARES teams, support from the surrounding
county
>emergency managers, the NWS forecasts and real-time radar support,
>WA5IHL's
>Mega-Link [repeater system] and numerous SKYWARN observations
saved
>lives,"
>Jay Miller, WA5WHN, observed. During the weather emergency,
Amateur
>Radio
>volunteers relayed real-time weather information to NWS offices in
>Albuquerque and in Midland, Texas.
>
>After Chaves County District Emergency Coordinator Alf Lindsey,
W5ALL,
>took
>note of darkening skies early Friday afternoon, he opened a
SKYWARN net.
>More than 30 hams in southeastern New Mexico and West Texas
relayed
>their
>weather observations through the net to the Albuquerque NWS
office.
>Robert
>Tice, W5TIC, reported in with a tornado spotting west of Tatum at
about
>5
>PM. Jim Morrison, KM5BS, observed a large tornado on the ground
just
>south
>of Roosevelt County at about 5:45 PM. That prompted the first of
many
>tornado warnings for the counties along the Texas-New Mexico state
line.
>
>The city of Clovis was especially hard hit. "We have always
trained for
>a
>single tornado, but not eight of them at the same time," Blaine
Smith,
>KB5UOT, in Clovis commented afterward. The NWS issued the first
tornado
>warning for Clovis at about 7:30 PM, and a tornado struck the city
>about 15
>minutes later. Saundra Creiglow, KC5EGP, handled net control
duties in
>Clovis as the storms approached. The Eastern New Mexico Amateur
Radio
>Club
>had three teams operating in and around Clovis before and after
the
>twisters.
>
>Using the KK5OV EchoLink node, hams in Clovis established a backup
>connection with Jory McIntosh, KJ5RM, at the Fort Worth National
Weather
>Service Office. McIntosh was able to pinpoint the exact course
>destructive
>tornados that hit the city.
>
>The New Mexico State Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and the
>Bernalillo
>County EOC activated. During the tornados, however, the state EOC
lost
>contact with Clovis, Logan, Texico, Carlsbad, and Portales.
Sandoval
>County
>DEC Mike Scales, K5SCA, was able to relay information from hams in
>tornado-stricken areas to the state EOC via the state-wide
Mega-Link
>repeater system. Scales also kept the state EOC up to speed on
localized
>flooding in Carlsbad.
>
>The American Red Cross requested Amateur Radio assistance to staff
>shelters
>in Logan and Clovis. John English, WB6QKF, was on the air from the
>Albuquerque Red Cross office to assist in setting up those
shelters.
>
>The tornados carved a 4.5 mile swath across Clovis. Thirty-five
>residents
>were injured badly enough to need hospitalization. In Logan,
two-dozen
>mobile homes were destroyed. Tatum experienced four tornados in
the
>span of
>a half-hour. Electrical power and telephone outages were reported.
>Interstate 70 was shut down between Portales and Clovis.
>
>More severe weather popped across eastern New Mexico and western
Texas
>over
>the weekend. Spotters were active early March 25 near Lubbock,
Texas, as
>possible tornados were reported. Showers and thunderstorms were in
this
>week's forecast for West Texas and southeastern New Mexico. -- New
>Mexico
>PIO Charlie Christman, K5CEC, and other reports
>
>
>
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