[W3GV] ARLB031 Radio Amateurs in Mexico Prepare as Powerful Hurricane

Ucdavid at aol.com Ucdavid at aol.com
Fri Oct 23 17:58:03 EDT 2015


SB QST @ ARL $ARLB031
ARLB031 Radio Amateurs in Mexico Prepare as  Powerful Hurricane
Patricia Nears Landfall

ZCZC AG31
QST de  W1AW  
ARRL Bulletin 31  ARLB031
>From ARRL Headquarters   
Newington CT  October 23, 2015
To all radio amateurs 

SB QST  ARL ARLB031
ARLB031 Radio Amateurs in Mexico Prepare as Powerful  Hurricane
Patricia Nears Landfall

An emergency net has been  established on 7060 kHz (LSB) from
Manzanillo in the Mexican state of Colima,  in anticipation of the
powerful Hurricane Patricia, which is threatening  Mexico's Pacific
Coast. According to Zian Aguirre, XE1ATZ, the emergency net  will
also be using 14,120 and 21,120 kHz, and he asked the Amateur  Radio
community to keep all three frequencies clear for emergency  traffic.
States of emergency are in effect for three Mexican  states.

Omar Alvarez, XE1AO, a faculty member at the University of  Colima,
initially activated the net on 7060 kHz from the University,  which
has its own amateur station. He said other stations had checked  in
from the capital city of Colima.

"We don't have any damage at the  moment, just rain since yesterday
evening," Alvarez told ARRL. "We are  expecting the first effects at
1500 local time. Now I am at home. In the last  hour I have had nine
stations report in on HF and three on VHF, but without  any emergency
reports."

He further reported that major grocery outlets  in Manzanillo were
closing this morning, although they would remain open in  Colima,
where other economic activity has been shut down. After 1300  local
time, the water supply in Manzanillo would shut down as well.  "Most
of the tourists were evacuated from all the coastal hotels,"  he
said.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami is calling the  Category 5
storm "potentially catastrophic," as it heads toward landfall  in
southwestern Mexico. As of 1500 UTC, the storm was located about  125
miles southwest of Manzanillo and 195 miles south of Cabo
Corrientes,  Mexico. Evacuation of some 60,000 residents in the
storm's path is under  way.

The International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Region 2 Area  C
Emergency Coordinator Arnie Coro, CO2KK, has alerted  emergency
coordinators within Amateur Radio range of Mexico that  Hurricane
Patricia is packing winds of up to 200 MPH. "Preparations to  deal
with the huge storm should be completed by now," he said. "I  expect
Mexican radio amateurs to be operating in the area of 40 meters  used
for emergency traffic. Please be on the alert in the frequency  range
between 7050 and 7100 kHz for possible emergency related  traffic
from Mexico."

The National Hurricane Center said in its 1500  UTC summary, "On the
forecast track, the center of Patricia should cross the  coast in the
hurricane warning area late this afternoon or early this  evening.
After landfall, the center of Patricia is expected to move  quickly
north-northeastward across western and northern  Mexico."

Hurricane Patricia is the most powerful storm ever recorded by  the
National Hurricane Center. The storm is expected to  generate
torrential rains and flooding. The storm is moving to the north  at
about 10 MPH. The National Hurricane Center has reported that  the
minimum central barometric pressure is at an extraordinary  25.99
inches.
NNNN
/EX


More information about the W3GV mailing list