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 Previous: Tears and Fears Among Topics of ARISS School Group Contact |  Next: FCC Orders License Revocation Hearing for Convicted Felon |
NEWINGTON, CT, Oct 4, 2005--There's a renewed need for Amateur Radio volunteers in Louisiana, while fresh volunteers are required in Texas. Louisiana Section Emergency Coordinator Gary Stratton, K5GLS, says FEMA--the Federal Emergency Management Agency--now is asking for Amateur Radio operators to support Hurricane Katrina damage assessment operations in and around Thibodaux. FEMA also needs to establish a communication link from Thibodaux to St Charles, Stratton says.
The initial requirement is for eight Amateur Radio volunteers. Duties would include riding with supply vehicles as they accompany FEMA on damage assessment tours, Stratton told ARRL. The plan is for radio operators on this assignment to return to the "muster point" each night. All would get three meals a day, but volunteers should bring along a sleeping bag. Ham radio volunteers also will be needed to handle communication for kitchens and feeding facilities operated by the American Red Cross and the Baptist Men's Kitchen.
Stratton has expressed concern that Amateur Radio volunteers in his beleaguered section already are stretched thin supporting the recovery effort there, and he's looking for assistance from outside Louisiana. After recruits serve a two-week stint, Stratton says he expects fresh volunteers will be needed to replace volunteers rotating out of the area by then.
VHF and UHF equipment (preferably dualband) and a mag-mount antenna are a must for this assignment, and HF gear is a plus. Radio equipment that can be used mobile would be best, but hand-held transceivers might be suitable for assignments in and around Lake Charles.
Prospective volunteers for this assignment should contact Louisiana Section officials directly: Louisiana SEC Gary Stratton, K5GLS, or Louisiana Assistant SM Al Oubre, K5DPG.
Hurricane Rita Relief Volunteers Needed in Texas
The need continues for Amateur Radio volunteers to assist relief organizations in and around Jasper, Texas, in the wake of Hurricane Rita. ARRL South Texas SEC Jerry Reimer, KK5CA, reported over the weekend that the 35,000 residents of Jasper County are among more than 175,000 Texans without electric power more than a week after Rita struck. This means ham radio repeaters are only usable when powered by an on-site generator and regularly refueled.
Reimer says The Salvation Army and other organizations are continuing to prepare and distribute meals among many small towns in Jasper and adjacent counties. HF Amateur Radio--primarily 40-meter SSB--"is the only viable means to effectively coordinate the mobile canteens as they travel out from the kitchen in Jasper," he said.
Volunteer positions for five more radio operators are expected to open October 5 as operators now on duty there will rotate out of the assignment. Volunteers are needed to accompany mobile canteens to allow prompt reporting of meals served at each site and town visited. Ham radio also can speed reports identifying sites where more people show up than there are meals available, Reimer explained.
South Texas ARRL SM Ray Taylor, N5NAV, says there's still a need for back-up net control operators for the West Gulf ARES Emergency Net, which has been up and running since Hurricane Rita struck the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast. The net convenes on 7.285 MHz days and on 3.873 MHz evenings. Taylor said it's important to have some operators to monitor the net so that volunteers deployed to disaster zones can keep in touch with someone while en route. The West Gulf ARES Emergency Net provides daily updates on the Hurricane Rita emergency response at noon and 7 PM Central Daylight Time.
To help in Texas, contact South Texas SM Ray Taylor, N5NAV, or South Texas SEC Jerry Reimer, KK5CA. Prospective volunteers in the North Texas Section may contact North Texas SEC Bill Swan, K5MWC, or North Texas SM Tom Blackwell, N5GAR.
Prospective volunteers should not self-deploy! If requested to report or planning to report to any of these areas, volunteers should notify their home section ARRL Section Emergency Coordinator and/or Section Manager before departing. A list of SECs and SMs with contact information is on the ARRL Web site.
Need "Ramping Down" for Mississippi Volunteers
ARRL Alabama Section Manager Greg Sarratt, W4OZK, and Chuck Lewis, N4NM, at the Red Cross marshaling center in Montgomery, AL, report that Amateur Radio volunteer support for American Red Cross operations in Biloxi and Gulfport, Mississippi, are beginning to ramp down. Mississippi SM Malcolm Keown, W5XX, has been among those assisting with radio communication at the Harrison County emergency operation center (EOC).
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