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 Previous: Amateur Radio on the Job as Wilma Hits Florida |  Next: New Foundation License, Amateur Regulatory Changes Introduced in Australia |
NEWINGTON, CT, Oct 24, 2005--Upward of 300 Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) and Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) volunteers are supporting necessary communication in Florida in the aftermath of Hurricane Wilma. Early reports indicate that most of the ham radio volunteers are assisting with communication at evacuee shelters and emergency operations centers (EOCs) in more than a dozen counties. Lee and Collier counties, where Wilma made landfall, may have taken the brunt of the storm's fury. ARES/RACES teams deployed to their assignments before Wilma came ashore, and local amateurs have been able to handle any immediate communication support needs.
Wilma barreled across the Florida Peninsula in about six hours today, causing widespread property damage and power outages. One death in Florida is being blamed on the storm. More than 2 million homes were said to be without electricity. Telephone and cellular service appears to have been less affected. The storm also caused flooding and spawned several tornadoes.
Since leaving Florida, Wilma has regained strength and is again a Category 3 hurricane with sustained winds near 115 MPH. Although forecast to weaken, Wilma is moving northeasterly at nearly 29 MPH and is expected to pick up speed over the next 24 hours.
ARRL Southern Florida Section Manager Sherri Brower, W4STB, reports the storm toppled a communications tower at the Indian River County EOC in Vero Beach, where she lives. The tower poked a hole in the building's roof, forcing the EOC's evacuation. She said the EOC was shifted to the sheriff's office, and no Amateur Radio support was required. Brower says she's without electricity but still has telephone service.
Earlier today she reported flooding in Lee and Collier counties as well as severe weather in the Okeechobee area. Much of the Florida Keys and Palm Beach are without power. ARRL Southern Florida Section Emergency Coordinator Jeff Beals, WA4AW, spent the first half of the day at a hospital in Loxahatchee and expects to be at the Palm Beach County EOC this evening.
The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) on 14.325 MHz stood down earlier today after 19 straight hours of activation. "Once again, countless reports were received from numerous locations and sent to the National Hurricane Center," said Assistant Net Manager Bobby Graves, KB5HAV. The HWN works in cooperation with WX4NHC at the National Hurricane Center (NHC) to gather real-time ground-level weather data to aid forecasters in predicting the storm's behavior.
Graves observed that a large number of stations checking in for this event had installed weather-measuring equipment. "This is an apparent response to the large number of storms to hit the State of Florida in the past few years," he said.
According to Graves, HWN Manager Mike Pilgrim, K5MP, in Boca Raton, Florida, lost power and the roof over his patio when the eyewall reached his location.
The Southern Florida ARES Net is in operation on 7.242 MHz and 3.940 MHz.
The Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) activated today at 1400 UTC on 14.265 MHz. In addition to emergency traffic, SATERN typically handles health-and-welfare traffic on the net and via its Web site. The Salvation Army reports that its relief teams in Florida have mobilized to respond to the needs of those affected by Hurricane Wilma.
Databases now are open for prospective Amateur Radio volunteers to register and for relief agencies to request Amateur Radio volunteers in Wilma's wake.
The Hurricane Wilma Disaster Communications Volunteer Registration Database now is open, thanks to site administrator Joe Tomasone, AB2M. ARRL Northern Florida Section Emergency Coordinator Joe Bushel, W2DWR, is coordinating Amateur Radio volunteers for this event. The site is intended for Amateur Radio volunteers to sign up for communication support duty on behalf of Hurricane Wilma relief and recovery efforts in Florida, both immediate and in the near future.
At the same time, relief organizations needing Amateur Radio volunteers may register their needs on the Hurricane Wilma Amateur Radio Volunteers Needed Clearing House. This is the ARRL's volunteer coordination Web site. Relief/served agencies are invited to post their communications requirements on this site. Amateur Radio operators also may use the site's search function to locate listings of agencies that need Amateur Radio volunteers. Volunteers should not self deploy but wait until they are contacted and assigned a tracking number.
The leadership in all three Florida ARRL sections has been evaluating volunteer resource requests and needs. SMs and SECs also have been regularly teleconferencing to coordinate their respective activities. ARRL Headquarters has been monitoring the Hurricane Wilma situation and maintaining regular contact with Field Organization leadership in the three sections.
| Previous: Amateur Radio on the Job as Wilma Hits Florida | Next: New Foundation License, Amateur Regulatory Changes Introduced in Australia |
