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![Previous (earlier) Story](/images/sty-down.gif ""Extremely Dangerous" Hurricane Rita has Amateur Radio Net on Alert"){kind=small} Previous: "Extremely Dangerous" Hurricane Rita has Amateur Radio Net on Alert |  Next: The K7RA Solar Update |
 A National Weather Service graphic (click link to update) depicts the probable path of Hurricane Rita, now a Category 5 storm with winds of 165 MPH. [NOAA Graphic] |
Prospective volunteers may sign up for possible deployment in the region via the Hurricane Rita Disaster Communications Volunteer Registration & Message Traffic Database. This list is being maintained separately from the Hurricane Katrina volunteer list. |
NEWINGTON, CT, Sep 22, 2005--The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) has announced plans to activate on 14.325 MHz at 2200 UTC today to provide up-to-date forecast advisories to those in the potential strike zone of the "potentially catastrophic" Hurricane Rita (click for latest advisory). At the same time, Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES)/Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) teams are shifting gears from the Hurricane Katrina response to confront Hurricane Rita--the second Category 5 storm to enter the Gulf of Mexico in less than a month. During today's activation, the HWN also is hoping to identify potential reporting stations to provide local measured or observed weather information as the Category 5 hurricane approaches landfall along the Texas Gulf coast.
"Reporting stations shall include, but are not limited to, individual Amateur Radio operators in the affected area, Red Cross centers and shelters, Salvation Army shelters, EOCs (emergency operations centers) and hospitals," said HWN Manager Mike Pilgrim, K5MP. He said the net plans to operate until after the National Hurricane Center (NHC) 11 PM EDT advisory has been issued and relayed via the net.
Pilgrim said the HWN is defining the "affected area" as being from Corpus Christi through central-coastal Louisiana. He added, however, that the HWN's definition may vary according to subsequent forecast advisories. "Stations as far inland as 50 miles or so might also be of great assistance," he said.
The HWN will reactivate Friday, September 23, at 1300 UTC, and it plans to remain available for as long as conditions on 20 meters permit. "It remains undecided if we will be needed again on Saturday morning," Pilgrim added. WX4NHC at the National Hurricane Center will be on the HWN frequency on September 23 and again on September 24 should the HWN extend its activation into the weekend.
The HWN works closely with WX4NHC to relay ground-level weather data from reporting stations to aid forecasters in fine-tuning their reports. An NHC update September 20 cited "an unofficial report from a ham radio operator" regarding Rita's wind velocity in the Key West area.
ARES/RACES Putting Plans into Play
As it was for Hurricane Katrina, the West Gulf ARES Emergency Net on 7.285 MHz (days) and 3.873 MHz (evenings) has activated for the latest weather threat. ARRL South Texas Section Emergency Coordinator Jerry Reimer, KK5CA, reports the Red Cross has established a shelter hub in Lufkin, opened 20 shelters and seeks Amateur Radio communication support. Reimer and his counterparts in the Gulf Coast region are working to recruit the necessary resources either from Amateur Radio volunteers in the region or from outside.
"The difficulty is that all of the hams in the coastal counties are under mandatory evacuation orders," Reimer observed. "The big thing will be salt water flooding from the storm surge," he added, as well as the effects of high winds starting September 23.
In addition to providing assistance at shelters for the hundreds of thousands of residents now attempting to exit the anticipated strike zone, Amateur Radio volunteers also are needed to monitor outbound traffic--keeping an eye out for accidents and other emergencies.
ARES/RACES already are represented at the Texas state EOC in Austin, which opened September 21. Local EOCs are gearing up for 24/7 operation as well, and many--if not most--will have Amateur Radio support. Shelters already have begun opening in the Austin area, and Amateur Radio volunteers will be needed to assist at those facilities at least through the weekend.
ARES member Jeff Schmidt, N5MNW, reports that resources nets have been established on VHF and UHF repeaters in several areas. In Bastrop County, 443.75+ MHz (114.8 Hz CTCSS); in Hays and Caldwell counties, 147.1+ MHz (141.3 Hz CTCSS) and 147.06+ MHz as well as 147.58 MHz FM simplex; In Highland Lakes, 146.66- (88.5 Hz CTCSS); in Travic County, 147.36+ MHz (131.8 Hz CTCSS) and in Williamson County, 146.64- MHz (162.2 Hz CTCSS).
At the American Red Cross volunteer staging area in Montgomery, Alabama, Chuck, N4NM, reports he and Alabama SM Greg Sarratt, W4OZK, are holding up volunteers reporting for Hurricane Katrina duty for possible deployment to areas that might need help in the wake of Hurricane Rita. Louisiana SEC Gary Stratton, K5GLS, indicated he was maintaining a similar holding pattern in Louisiana, which could also feel Rita's wrath.
Prospective volunteers may sign up for possible deployment in the region via the Hurricane Rita Disaster Communications Volunteer Registration & Message Traffic Database. This list is being maintained separately from the Hurricane Katrina volunteer list.
Keep Net Frequencies Clear!
WX4NHC Assistant Amateur Radio Coordinator Julio Ripoll, WD4R, reports the station experienced interference from stations operating very close to the HWN's 14.325 MHz frequency during the Hurricane Katrina and Rita activations. "Some of the interference occurred during vital communications with NWSFO Slidell during Katrina," Ripoll said, "and just recently during Rita when we were trying to copy a transmission from a ship under hurricane winds in the Dry Tortugas."
Ripoll requested that all stations be sensitive to the mission of HWN and WX4NHC and to stay far enough away from 14.325 MHz when the HWN is in session to allow weaker stations to relay their reports. The same advisory applies to emergency net frequencies such as 7.285 and 8.873 MHz.
The HWN also handles emergency traffic if necessary. WX4NHC will provide back-up communication using Amateur Radio to National Weather Service field offices in the affected area. During Hurricane Katrina, ham radio was the only means of communication between NHC, NWS Regional and the Slidell NWS field office (W5SLA) for more than six hours, Ripoll said.
The WX4NHC Group continues to expand efforts to increase the quantity and quality of surface reports, including those posted via VoIP and by non-Amateur Radio means. EchoLink WX-Talk Conference Room and IRLP node 9219 also will be monitored. The WX4NHC Web site has details on the various reporting avenues.
National Hurricane Center Forecast
As of 1500 UTC, a hurricane warning had been issued from Port O'Connor, Texas, to Morgan City, Louisiana. "Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion," the forecast warned.
While Hurricane Rita (click for updated advisory) was expected to weaken somewhat, the NHC said the storm was still predicted to make landfall as "a dangerous hurricane."
Hurricane Rita was located 740 miles southeast of Galveston and 445 miles southeast of Port Arthur, moving west-northwest at 9 MPH. A gradual turn to the northwest is anticipated. Maximum sustained winds have decreased to 165 MPH with higher gusts.
The storm is considered the third most intense on record
in terms of its barometric pressure reading.
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