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 Previous: The K7RA Solar Update |  Next: Astronaut Relives High School Days via Amateur Radio |
The sight of advancing Hurricane Isabel as seen from space by NASA's Terra satellite on September 18. [NASA Photo]
Kent Island Bridge in Maryland stands empty during Hurricane Isabel on September 18. The bridge spans Chesapeake Bay and carries US Routes 301/50. Its two spans include five traffic lanes, and it averages 20 million vehicles a year. [Chuck Hodell, N8ADN, Photo]
Mona Kushner, WA2AJL (shown), Joe Fedock, N3IE, and Jon Rudolph, KC2HPH, staffed a Red Cross shelter in Stafford Township in New Jersey's Ocean County September 18-19, said Ocean County EC Bob Murdock, WX2NJ. Isabel affected coastal areas as far north as southern New England. [Bob Murdock, WX2NJ, Photo]
The position and projected path of Hurricane Isabel as of 11 AM EDT September 19. [NOAA Graphic]
Downed trees and power lines blocked access to streets and highways in the hard-hit areas. This roadblock was in Stafford County, Virginia. [Tom Gregory, N4NW, Photo] |
NEWINGTON, CT, Sep 19, 2003--Now downgraded to a tropical storm, Isabel vented much of her fury on North Carolina and Virginia after coming ashore on North Carolina's Outer Banks the afternoon of September 18. It also shut down Washington, DC. Amateur Radio volunteers had been keeping an eye on the storm for several days prior to its arrival, however, and they were ready to assist in providing communication support and weather spotting. The Hurricane Watch Net secured its operation at 0100 UTC September 18 after two full days and nights of dealing with Isabel.
"Many thanks to the dozens of dedicated reporting stations in the path of the storm for their support," said HWN Manager Mike Pilgrim, K5MP, "and most of all to all Amateur Radio operators who patiently stood on the sidelines while helping to maintain a clear frequency on 14.325 MHz during this high-priority operation." The HWN worked with WX4NHC at the National Hurricane Center to provide ground-level weather information for hurricane forecasters.
The Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN), not HWN, handled health-and-welfare inquiries via its SATERN Net on 14.265 MHz and via its Web site. The SATERN Net will secure its activation for the storm as of 2200 UTC September 19 but will maintain daily sessions at 1400 UTC. SATERN National Coordinator Pat McPherson, WW9E, said the net would reactivate if necessary for health-and-welfare or emergency traffic.
In North Carolina, ARES member Mike Langley, KD4MTT, spent three days at ARES station NC4EB at the North Carolina Emergency Management's Eastern Branch headquarters in Kinston--the primary emergency operation center (EOC) for the hurricane.
NC4EB participated in the statewide Tarheel Net on 75 meters, which backed up logistical communication between the state and county and local EOCs, and sometimes provided a primary link when government systems went down. Langley cited Perquimens and Washington counties as examples of localities where amateurs were recruited to fill the gap after local emergency responders lost communication services.
"Services are spotty at best," Langley said of the power and telephone systems. "Right now in the after-action, we're still maintaining vigilance here passing information back and forth from the different EOCs to Emergency Management and the Red Cross." Langley said some Red Cross personnel are deployed in areas that do not have reliable communication. Other communication has involved helping state agencies to deploy needed resources, such as chainsaw crews to remove downed trees.
Langley said the Eastern Branch also monitored the Hurricane Watch Net as well as several VHF and one HF frequency plus e-mail and telephones.
"Ham radio has been very busy throughout the storm," Langley said. He noted that the Eastern Branch EOC operated with a staff of six, with two on duty for two days or more and the others taking turns. "It's been a pretty busy process."
ARRL North Carolina Section Manager John Covington, W4CC, said that at one point some 75 shelters were opened to provide refuge for those forced to evacuate coastal communities before the storm struck.
In Virginia, Section Emergency Coordinator Tom Gregory, N4NW, said he had
plenty of volunteers in the early going but could have used more as the
emergency wore on. "A few did a lot," he summed up.
Power outages were widespread in Virginia, and Gregory himself was running
an emergency generator. Ground already wet from previous rainfall caused
trees to topple, too, and that included several that uprooted and landed
across Gregory's driveway. He urged all involved in Amateur Radio
emergency communication to install emergency power systems in their homes
and on their repeaters.
The Old Dominion Emergency Net/Virginia Emergency Net Alpha was activated on HF to help support communication between the state EOC and local EOCs. Gregory said the net had checkins from about half of the Commonwealth's localities.
"Our role was to provide a backup for their landline or whatever communications, but very few of those lost that capability," Gregory said of the local EOCs. Areas most drastically affected, including Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia, did need Amateur Radio support and had plenty of volunteers, he said.
Amateurs also supported American Red Cross and Salvation Army relief operations in Virginia.
Gregory said the swath of damage from Isabel ran from the Virginia coastal
Tidewater Area through Richmond and into Central Virginia. "They're
calling for flooding," he said, referring to the area of Virginia
west of Interstate 95.
Isabel shut down Washington, DC, giving federal government employees a
two-day break, mostly due to transportation disruptions caused by
flooding along the Potomac River. The Virginia emergency net secured
operation around midday on September 19.
Virginia SM Carl Clements, W4CAC, in the Tidewater Area lost commercial power shortly after the storm struck and was powering his equipment with an emergency generator. While he also has no telephone service, his cell phone continues to operate. Clements also lost his HF antennas. Many trees were down in his area, he said, in some cases blocking access.
In the Tidewater Area, Amateur Radio operators were deployed at Red Cross shelters set up in schools. "Amateur Radio is the only way for the shelters to get in touch with one another," Clements said. Hams were handling some health-and-welfare traffic for shelter clients.
"It's a true disaster," Clements said. "When you think of what a disaster would be like, that's what you have here."
In West Virginia, ARRL Section Manager Hal Turley, KC8FS, said ARES/RACES support of the West Virginia EOC ended the morning of September 19. "All in all, Isabel was kind to us," he said. "As anticipated, the Eastern Panhandle sustained the brunt of the storm, with Mineral, Hampshire and Pocahontas faring worse than some of the other counties in the area." Heavy rain caused some flooding, and the state also suffered power outages.
Eric Hegerle, N3VOC, of Western Pennsylvania Salvation Army Disaster Services said emergency management officials and the National Weather Service were expecting up to six inches of rain in the region, with some isolated pockets of heavier rains.
ARES teams in Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey also activated for Isabel. The storm made itself known as far north as Southern New England and as far west as Eastern Ohio.
Ham radio got a little publicity on CNN's Larry King Live on September 18. Carl Pokorny, K0CB, noted that a caller asked about Amateur Radio's involvement in the hurricane response. "Larry deferred this question to Wolf Blitzer and another guest via telephone, both of whom gave a very positive view of the contribution of Amateur Radio when disaster arises," Pokorny said.
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