Georgia Hams Respond in Aftermath of Killer Tornadoes
NEWINGTON, CT, Mar 24, 2003--Amateur Radio operators in southwestern Georgia have been helping their neighbors and relief agencies in the wake of tornadoes March 20 that left six people dead and 200 or more injured--dozens seriously. Georgia Gov Sonny Perdue has declared a state of emergency in Mitchell and Worth counties--located just south of the City of Albany. According to news accounts, dozens of houses were destroyed. Hams have been assisting responding organizations including the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army and Georgia Baptist Disaster Relief.
"We have had about 15 ARES members involved at various times and still working," ARRL Lee County Emergency Coordinator Bob Smith, K4PHE, reported March 21. "Most of our ARES [Amateur Radio Emergency Service] members are also Red Cross volunteers and are doing damage assessment and taking the ERVs [emergency response vehicles] out feeding victims." The Red Cross has established a shelter at Mitchell County Middle School.
Two fatalities occurred in Worth County, and four others died in Mitchell County, according to news media accounts. The dead included an eight-month-old boy and a woman in her late 70s.
ARES District 7 Emergency Coordinator J.D. Goings, AA4P, reported that recovery operations in the Mitchell County town of Camilla--which was hit by a devastating and deadly tornado on February 14, 2000--were going very well. Dougherty County ARES members were doing "a fantastic job" in Mitchell and Worth counties, Goings said. The ARES team was on the job shortly after the tornado struck early on March 20. Goings said he was among those supporting the Georgia Baptist Disaster Relief team.
"There is a lot of damage, and it is widespread," Goings said. "I would expect us to be there a couple of weeks."
Smith said the latest tornado in Camilla "went down the same streets and destroyed the same homes" that had been rebuilt following the 2000 tornado. "Unbelievable!" he declared. Eleven people died as a result of the 2000 tornado.
Smith said he Red Cross personnel from Atlanta were expected to arrive over the weekend, and he anticipated that would reduce the need for Amateur Radio support. Officials from the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, among others, also were on the scene to assess the damage.
The tornadoes that struck southwestern Georgia were part of a storm system that also caused flooding in Georgia and the Carolinas.
Page last modified: 05:39 PM, 24 Mar 2003 ET
Page author: awextra@arrl.org
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