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 Previous: LA Section Manager Re-Elected; New SMs Picked in West Virginia, Wyoming |  Next: Hurricane Watch Net, WX4NHC to Activate as Katrina Nears Florida |
NEWINGTON, CT, Aug 24, 2005--Amateur Radio sprang into action August 18 when two dozen tornados struck several Wisconsin counties. The National Weather Service (NWS) says the rash of tornados--which tied the single-day record for the Badger State set in 1988--first struck West Central Wisconsin, then moved to the east and southeast. Vernon, Richland and Dane counties were hardest hit. ARRL Wisconsin Section Emergency Coordinator Bill Niemuth, KB9ENO, says ham there were on the job even before any funnel clouds touched down.
"In typical ARES/RACES fashion, members were active in weather spotting for the National Weather Service and then in damage assessment and finally in communication support for emergency management in most counties," said Niemuth, who's also Wisconsin's Chief RACES Officer.
The Dane County community of Stoughton was severely stricken. One person died as a result of the brutal weather, and 18 others were injured there. Dane County Emergency Coordinator Joe Senius, N9TWA, reports several tornadoes struck the county around 6:15 PM on August 18.
"There was already a SKYWARN operation in place, with a liaison at the Dane County EOC, when a strong tornado, believed to be an F3, struck the Stoughton area," he said. "Dane County ARES was activated and set up a damage net to relay reports to the EOC. In turn, the EOC informed us of areas where no reports had yet been received and required further investigation." Senius says a resource net was set up as a staging area for hams not involved in direct support.
Senius says reports of large-diameter trees across roads, houses destroyed, power lines down, propane tanks leaking and more helped county officials gauge the extent of the damage. They also alerted them to areas where emergency services had not yet responded to critical safety needs.
"As darkness fell and emergency service workers began to effectively respond to the affected area, we began to curtail our operations, and the nets were shut down by 9:16 PM," he said. In Dane County, 21 radio amateurs took part in the response as net control stations, liaisons between nets and the EOC, providing damage reports or standing by for assignment. "A number of the participants have only had their licenses for a few years," he added. "Everyone did a great job."
A tornado watch earlier in the day prompted activation of a stand-by net on the 444.375 MHZ repeater in Madison, reports ARES District Emergency Coordinator Charles Buggs, WX9BUG. He says the Midwest Severe Storm Tracking and Response Center (SSTRC) went into a "Condition Red" activation just before 5 PM. Buggs says the Midwest SSTRC until recently used cell phones and a business-band repeater to communicate. "When the group realized the advantages that Amateur Radio provided, several members became licensees, and they now use the 444.375 repeater in addition to their other resources," he said.
Buggs said Midwest SSTRC Director Dale Bernstein, KC9GQS, came in behind the tornado and began searching for people and assisting them out of the rubble. "A damage assessment net was established on the Madison repeater, and an ARES resource net was set up on the 146.76 repeater," he added. Buggs reported to the EOC to assist in handling damage report traffic. "Once the area of damage was outlined, both nets were shut down at approximately 10 PM," he said.
The tornado marked the second disaster to hit the town that week. A large fire destroyed a church and a school in Stoughton only a day before the twister struck, Buggs says.
Wisconsin ARES/RACES Electronic Communications Coordinator Rick Williams, KV9U, in Vernon County, reported that Lemont Struxness, WB9DXL, responded to an NWS request the afternoon of August 18 to track a storm as it proceeded to the east through the county. "They were concerned about continued rotation detected via radar," he said. Struxness was stopped on the county line at Viola because downed trees and power lines were blocking the highway. Struxness was able to give direct information from the scene via the Vernon County ARES/RACES repeater to the La Crosse NWS office.
"A number of buildings sustained severe damage including roofs and second story structures sheared off from a reported F1 tornado, which struck at 4:26 PM," he said. Eighty percent of the structures in Viola reportedly sustained significant damage. Three people were injured in Viola.
Juneau County ARES EC Craig Smith, KC9FZD, said an estimated F1 tornado struck his county a short time later, downing trees and causing agricultural and structural damage.
Columbia County EC Wayne Burgess, W9YYZ, spotted a funnel cloud and reported it to the Sullivan NWS office.
Outagamie County ARES EC Stan Piekarczyk, KE6IFC, said that AEC John Morack, N9ZXR, reported a fully formed rope-type tornado west of New London at around 7:42 PM. "The tornado was short lived and dissipated about a minute later," he said. The Green Bay NWS office reported to Outagamie County ARES that rotation was evident on the Doppler radar, and Morack spotted the tornado two minutes later.
"Less than a minute after he made his report, the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning, and the warning sirens sounded," Piekarczyk said. "Now that is service!"
Waushara County ARES EC Jim Burow, KC9EZT, said falling trees and limbs damaged houses in his area.
WC9AAG at Wisconsin Emergency Management (WEM) activated August 19 to provide communication between Richland Center and Madison. WEM Assistant SEC Sam Rowe, KG9NG, and WC9AAG Manager Mack Brophy, N9NTB, staffed this station. "This was a short-lived activation but a nonetheless critical one to ensure communication was present," Niemuth said. Richland County ARES/RACES established a radio link between Richland Center and Viola.
Niemuth says severe weather incidents like the August 18 tornadoes are why the more than 1300 Wisconsin ARES/RACES members train and stay ready to serve client agencies. "We do it to protect our families, neighbors and communities," he says. "After all, it is the Amateur Radio Service. I am always proud to lead our Wisconsin ARES/RACES team, but even more so after last week."
Gov Jim Doyle declared a state of emergency in Dane and Richland counties. Other counties reporting tornadoes August 18 included Waupaca, Winnebago, Brown and Manitowoc. Wisconsin Emergency Management estimates damage from the tornadoes at $28 million. The NWS said August 23 that it was continuing to gather information on the effects of the storms.
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