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 Previous: ARRL Urges Employers to Be Flexible in Leave Time for Volunteers |  Next: AMSAT-NA 2005 Symposium Falls Victim to Katrina |
Several key staff members have been meeting or teleconferencing daily throughout the Katrina crisis. From bottom, Sales and Marketing Business Services Manager Janet Rocco, KB1MOZ; ARRL COO Harold Kramer, WJ1B; ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager Allen Pitts, W1AGP; Publications Manager and QST Editor Steve Ford, WB8IMY. At right, ARRL Building Manager Greg Kwasowski, KB1GJF.
ARRL DXCC Manager Bill Moore, NC1L, took the red-eye shifts at W1AW over the Labor Day weekend.
W1AW has been putting in some long hours during the Katrina crisis. At one point over the Labor Day weekend, a local power failure forced the station to fire up its emergency backup generator.
ARRL Shipping Clerk Steve Coffey readies Amateur Radio gear donated to the League for use in the hurricane zone. [Jon Bloom, KE3Z, Photo]
ARRL Special Assistant to the CEO Dave Patton, NN1N, has been among those heading up the Katrina response at ARRL Headquarters.
ARRL Sales and Marketing Manager Dennis Motschenbacher, K7BV (left), chats with Airangel Altreche-Moro, WP3JO, at the American Red Cross volunteer marshaling center in Montgomery, Alabama. Altreche-Moro is part of the Red Cross Response Technology Team.
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"Their main job is to support the served agencies, such as the American Red Cross, The Salvation Army, FEMA," Kramer said. "Because this is over such a widespread area, a lot of the Amateur Radio infrastructure in that area got destroyed, so we're having to bring in operators from further out--as well as equipment." With a lack of communication cited as the largest obstacle to rescue and relief efforts, ARES members--with support from Headquarters--began bridging the gap immediately.
The sheer size of the geographical region affected by the disaster and the lack of communication have put ARRL Headquarters in the somewhat unusual role of serving as a clearing house for various aspects of the response. Activities include helping to recruit volunteers, coordinating equipment donations, and working with regulatory agencies and the news media. A daily conference call has brought together Headquarters personnel and Section Managers (SMs) and Section Emergency Coordinators (SECs) from the affected region to provide situation reports, compare notes and request any assistance they need from ARRL Headquarters.
"We don't normally have to do that much support for the Field Organization," Kramer pointed out.
Thanks to Joe Tomasone, AB2M, the Hurricane Katrina Disaster Communications Volunteer Registration & Message Traffic Database was developed and activated on the ARRL Web site, enabling prospective volunteers to sign up. ARRL South Texas SEC Jerry Reimer, KK5CA, has been coordinating volunteer registrations, which were approaching 900 as of mid-week.
More than a dozen key ARRL staff members have been meeting on a daily basis--including over the Labor Day holiday weekend--to help keep track of events and relief-related initiatives as they progress. Over the Labor Day holiday weekend, ARRL Headquarters employees volunteered to staff Maxim Memorial Station W1AW around the clock and to keep telephone (860-594-0200) and e-mail communication open.
The ARRL released a special edition of The ARES E-Letter on Friday, September 2. The League also this week established Hurricane Katrina Resources page on its Web site to provide links to resources related to Amateur Radio.
Over Labor Day weekend, W1AW operators kept a close ear on The Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) Net on 14.265 MHz and the West Gulf ARES Emergency Net on 7.285 and 3.873 MHz. On several occasions, ARRL DXCC Manager Bill Moore, NC1L, was able to handle or relay traffic on the net, and he spelled net control stations during the long overnight shift. His contribution drew a comment from Russ Tillman, K5NRK, of Vicksburg, Mississippi, who later e-mailed Moore to express his appreciation for the "fantastic support" on the West Gulf ARES Emergency Net from W1AW. "You are responsively rising to the occasion," he said.
The activity at W1AW also provided a focal point for local news media. On more than one occasion, TV crews showed up at HQ for a story about how Amateur Radio was doing its part in the disaster. Major "media hits" included a favorable article in the Wall Street Journal September 6. Another turned up on MSNBC's Web site, and a third on the Computerworld Web site. Thanks to Howard Price, KA2QPJ, of New York City's WABC-TV (Channel 7) and Johnny Donovan, the production director at New York City's WABC Radio (770 AM), ARRL is making available a new downloadable 30-second radio public service announcement (PSA) that focuses on ham radio's Katrina response. The message is that radio amateurs were on the air passing emergency communication and saving lives when other systems failed.
The Hurricane Katrina disaster also led to a Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) grant of $100,000 to help reimburse ARES volunteers for some of their expenses while they're deployed to the hurricane-stricken region. The money will go toward helping volunteers defray some of their expenses such as gasoline, meals, lodging and other necessities while they're in the field. Cash donations from individuals are also being accepted by the ARRL to support hams in the field assisting with emergency communications and relief efforts in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana in the aftermath of Katrina. These funds will be used to provide reimbursement for personal expenses incurred by hams as they volunteer in the field. To make a donation go to the ARRL general donation form and select "Ham Aid". This is a secure site.
ARRL Sales and Marketing Manager Dennis Motschenbacher, K7BV, volunteered to head into the hurricane strike zone. He checked in at the American Red Cross ham radio support volunteer center in Montgomery, Alabama, on September 6. Motschenbacher has a complete HF station as well as sufficient supplies to stay in the field for a couple of weeks. He was expected to be deployed to help in Mississippi.
ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager Allen Pitts, W1AGP, also has headed to Montgomery to coordinate with national news media at the request of Alabama SM Greg Sarratt, W4OZK, and the Red Cross, which are being overwhelmed with operational issues and unable to deal with media inquiries.
On September 7, some of the manufacturer-donated ham radio equipment was packed up and shipped from ARRL Headquarters on its way to the disaster areas where it's needed most. Additional donations from manufacturers and dealers are still being coordinated.
| Previous: ARRL Urges Employers to Be Flexible in Leave Time for Volunteers | Next: AMSAT-NA 2005 Symposium Falls Victim to Katrina |
