As Hurricane Season Winds Down

October is here and Hurricane Season is drawing to a close. So far, in Florida, we have escaped the worst of the weather emergencies this year. However, the experiences of other parts of the US should be a lesson to all of us. The Northeast had several bouts of severe flooding, with roads washed out and communities cut off from the outside world for days if not weeks. In Vermont, helicopters were dropping supplies from the air to small towns that were completely cut off from assistance via the usual ground access. The power in various parts of Connecticut was out for a week or more as the winds on top of saturated soil meant that fallen trees decimated the power grids delivery system.

In other parts of the country, like Texas and the far West, the problem was not too much rain, but too little. Severe drought was responsible for very dry conditions which enabled huge forest fires to destroy not only the trees but also several thousand homes as well. All of these disasters have one thing in common: The need for reliable communications. Even when the authorities responding to the situations have their communication networks up and running, often the small towns and rural areas have no way to even let the responders know that they need help.

Recently, a disaster of a different kind befell a 911 center, according to a report from ARRL.org. Around 9 p.m. on September 5 a cable cut completely isolated the Johnson County 911 Center in Warrensburg, Missouri, impacting landline, Internet and cellular service. Johnson County — home to Whiteman Air Force Base — is located just east of the Kansas City metro area. When an equipment problem at Henry County’s center prevented the transfer from Johnson County from completing successfully, calls were then routed to the Benton County 911 Center in Warsaw, Missouri; Benton County is the next county west of Henry County. This transfer was successful and calls started coming in to Warsaw. Unfortunately, Warsaw is more than 40 miles from Warrensburg, and the two centers were unable to establish communication using the county VHF radio facilities.

It was then that radio amateurs were brought in to provide communications support. Amateur Radio operators reported to their respective Emergency Operations Centers, and using a VHF repeater, quickly established reliable communications. Hams relayed the 911 calls between the two centers, with the hams in Benton County handing the calls off to Warrensburg officials for dispatch.

Amateur radio can and does assist their “served agencies” such as local and regional Emergency Operations Centers, the Red Cross, and other disaster response groups. The one problem that amateur radio has is probably numbers. There are usually far more served agencies needing assistance with communications than there are amateur operators available to fill that need.

Our own area has almost thirty shelters for use during a hurricane. Our local ARES group does not have that many operators. When one adds in the need for some of those operators to be at the EOC itself and at the Red Cross Operations Center, the number of operators available for the shelters gets even smaller. What usually saves the day is that not all of the shelters are opened in any given emergency. However, if the “big one” hits, the need for more trained communicators becomes quite evident.

Many people have a desire to be of service to their community during a disaster. By becoming a licensed amateur radio operator, you can provide a vital service to your fellow citizens.

The course work to get your Technician level amateur radio license is easy to complete. Classes that take only one weekend are available from many ham radio clubs. The materials like a course book and the fee for the test will total less than a decent dinner for two and be useful for a whole lot longer. Even the equipment you will need to communicate with is not all that expensive. Excellent 5-watt dual band walkie-talkies are available from some dealers for about what it costs to take your significant other to dinner and the movies.

After you get your license, there are lots of resources to aid you in picking the right radio to buy, and lots of opportunities to practice and gain skill in being a communicator. When a disaster strikes, everyone is looking for someone to help them. How about being one of the people that can provide that help? Get your amateur radio license and join your local Amateur Radio Emergency Service. Be part of the solution. You can find more information at the following web sites:

www.arrl.org

www.n1gy.com

www.manatee-arc.org/ARES/ARES.htm