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 Previous: California Governor Signs Amateur Antenna Bill |  Next: The Amateur Amateur: The Junkman Cometh, Part III |
The location and projected path of Hurricane Claudette, now a Category 1 storm. |
"We secured the Hurricane Watch Net as Hurricane Claudette has moved inland near Port O'Connor, Texas, and ceases to be a serious threat," said HWN Manager Mike Pilgrim, K5MP. The National Hurricane Center expects Claudette to weaken as the storm's eye moves further inland.
ARRL South Texas Section Manager Ray Taylor, N5NAV, says the storm came ashore a bit earlier than anticipated. The ARES station at the Texas State Emergency Operations Center has been on the air since July 13, he said. ARES crews also have been helping the Baptist Men's Kitchen, Red Cross and The Salvation Army relief efforts.
An FCC-declared general communications emergency for the Texas coastal area for 7285 kHz (days) and 3873 kHz (nights) remains in effect. The FCC says amateurs are required to refrain from using those frequencies, plus or minus 3 kHz, unless they are taking part in the handling of emergency traffic. The declaration remains in effect until it's rescinded.
A hurricane warning remains in effect along the Texas coast from Baffin Bay to High Island. A tropical storm warning remains in effect north of High Island, Texas, to Sabine Pass. As of 1600 UTC, Claudette was some 15 miles west-northwest of Port O'Connor, Texas moving to the west-northwest at nearly 12 MPH and packing maximum sustained winds near 80 MPH with higher gusts.
Intense rainfall resulting in possible flooding seems to be the major threat, with the NHC predicting up to eight inches of rain along with storm surge flooding of four to six feet above normal. Isolated tornadoes also are possible. Taylor said parts of South Texas already are saturated from previous heavy rains.
WX4NHC has requested that amateurs submit weather and damage reports from
affected areas via the Hurricane Watch Net on 14.325 MHz and via IRLP
SKYWARN Node (Dallas Reflector) 9455. Non-IRLP repeaters will be linked
via the Cactus Intertie System to cover a large area of Texas.
The view from above: Then-Tropical Storm Claudette in the Gulf of Mexico as it appeared earlier this week from the International Space Station some 240 miles above Earth. [NASA Photo] |
Texas Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) Coordinator Mel Goodwin, KI5WT, has advised SATERN members to listen to the emergency net on 7.285 MHz daytime. The SATERN net meets on 14.265 MHz weekdays at 1500 UTC. The Salvation Army has put disaster relief teams on notice for immediate activation. Canteen units are equipped with Amateur Radio gear.
The Salvation Army already has opened two shelters in Corpus Christi and another in Freeport is housing some 25 residents mostly from the flooded Surfside area. Another shelter was scheduled to open in Lufkin. The Salvation Army reports it has four shelters on standby in Cameron County and another in McAllen to handle any storm-related evacuees.
The International Space Station crew of Commander Yuri Malenchenko, RK3DUO, and NASA ISS Science Officer and Flight Engineer Ed Lu, KC5WKJ, were able to see Hurricane Claudette from their unique vantage point 240 miles above Earth. NASA says the Expedition 7 team captured "spectacular video" of the storm as it made landfall. (The video will be broadcast on NASA Television.)
| Previous: California Governor Signs Amateur Antenna Bill | Next: The Amateur Amateur: The Junkman Cometh, Part III |
