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W1AW > ARES 20.11.05 19:11l 192 Lines 8505 Bytes #999 (0) @ EU
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From: W1AW@KB9MMA.#SEWI.WI.USA.NOAM
To : ARES@ARL
=================
The ARES E-Letter
November 16, 2005
=================
Rick Palm, K1CE, Editor
===================================
ARES reports, other related contributions, editorial questions or
comments: <k1ce@arrl.net}
===================================
+ The View from Flagler County
We dodged a bullet from Hurricane Wilma here on the central east
coast of the Florida peninsula, but unfortunately our colleagues in
south Florida were not so lucky. Southern Florida SEC Jeff Beals,
WA4AW, filed a report that is included in this issue. As this is
written, there is more tropical weather disturbance in the Caribbean,
with possible ramifications for us and others here in the southeast.
We've had an ARES shake-up here in the county and district. Long time
East Central DEC Dave Flagg, N4BGH, has retired, as has the county's
EC Art Cooper, AG4QQ, opening slots that have been filled by two ARES
veterans who happen to be father and son: new DEC Jay Musikar, AF2C,
and Merrill Musikar, KG4IDD, new county EC. The district and county
host separate weekly nets on regional repeaters. I've accepted an AEC
position for training, which I'm looking forward to performing. My
first training tip will be on "Break Tags," featured in this issue.
Our monthly ARES meeting is being held tonight, at the fire station
in Flagler Beach.
+ Katrina, Rita, and Wilma Photos Needed for Coffee Table ARES Book
The ARRL may commission a coffee-table book of color photographs of
radio amateurs performing communication duty during this year's wild
hurricane season.
*You or your group could be featured in this book!*
We are looking for good quality photos of amateurs in action against
these storms. In terms of resolution, we need at least 300 DPI when
the picture is sized at about 5 X 7 inches. As a rule of thumb, a
file for a photo at this resolution is about 300 kbytes or larger.
Note: Please avoid sending the usual "grip and grin" photos of the
subject holding a hand-held up in the air and grinning from ear to
ear. We're seeking photos of amateurs working their radios in the
harsh conditions of these storms and their aftermath. Photos showing
the emotional and physical strain of the rugged radio amateurs are
best; they tell the story. You get the idea.
Send your good quality photos of ARES action during Hurricanes
Katrina, Rita, and Wilma to the editor, either by e-mail
<k1ce@arrl.net} or to:
ARES Coffee Table Book
Rick Palm, K1CE, Editor
31 Burning Ember Lane
Palm Coast, FL 32137
==============================
In This Issue:
+ The View from Flagler County
+ Katrina, Rita, and Wilma Photos Needed for Coffee Table ARES Book
+ Hurricane Wilma
+ VoIP Hurricane Net Activates for Hurricane Wilma
+ Cuba: A Message from Professor Coro
+ "Tracker System" Employed in Florida This Season
+ Hurricane Volunteers to be Honored in QST
+ Evansville (Indiana) Tornado Response
+ October Rains on the Northeast; Amateur Radio Shines
+ When Telephones Fail
+ When Hospital Communications Fail
+ ARES in South Dakota? Yes!
+ Break Tags
+ ARES on the ARRL Web Site
+ K1CE for a Final
===================================
+ Hurricane Wilma
Eleven out of the fourteen southern Florida counties activated for
Hurricane Wilma. Collier, Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties
sustained amateur operations for up to a week after landfall,
supporting communications to shelters, staging areas, feeding
stations, EOCs and the Red Cross. In the initial days after Wilma,
the Amateur Radio link between the staging area at the Palm Beach
County Fairgrounds and the Broward EOC was invaluable, as it was the
only reliable communications available. The AB2M Wilma database
provided volunteers to support amateur operations in Broward and Palm
Beach counties. Sixteen out-of-area volunteers were deployed, some
for up to one week. These deployments were coordinated with the
assistance of the Northern Florida and the West Central Florida SECs.
We held conference calls along with the State Government Liaison
Theodore Zateslo, W1XO, the three state SMs and ARRL staff at HQ. A
tree crushed my pick up truck bed. -- Jeff Beals, WA4AW, Southern
Florida SEC
+ VoIP Hurricane Net Activates for Hurricane Wilma
The VoIP Hurricane Net activated Sunday night, October 23, as
Hurricane Wilma threatened the Florida peninsula, coinciding with
WX4NHC (National Hurricane Center station) activation. The net was
active while Wilma remained a threat to Florida. The purpose of the
net is to link SKYWARN coordinators and their programs at the local
level, EOCs and other served agencies with WX4NHC, local National
Weather Service offices and other EOCs that may be on the system.
Over the course of the night, several reports were received including
from John Van Pelt, K4JVP, and Danny Musten, KD4RAA, of sustained
winds of 70 MPH with gusts of 96 MPH measured in Naples. (Van Pelt
runs a program called "StormStudy" where he teaches storm safety and
assists with research for significant weather events such as
hurricanes. His web site can be seen at <http://www.stormstudy.com}).
Reports of storm surge flooding, power outages and tree damage were
received from Key West, Boynton Beach and Deerfield Beach, Florida as
reported by Lu Vencl, KA4EPS, in Deerfield Beach, and Ronald Keister,
KG4DWP, who was located at the Boynton Beach EOC.
The VoIP Hurricane Net asks stations in the affected area to connect
to the system and report damage and weather information to the net to
fulfill WX4NHC's mission of gathering surface reports and damage
information for Hurricane Center forecasters. - Rob Macedo, KD1CY,
Net Manager for VoIP Hurricane Net Activations
+ Cuba: A Message from Professor Coro
Long time friend and IARU Emergency Coordination Advisory Group
member Arnie Coro, CO2KK, reported from Havana that Cuba's emergency
nets worked very well during the Hurricane Wilma emergency. "We are
using 7 MHz during the daytime and shift to 3.75 MHz at night," Coro
said. The two-meter band, repeaters and simplex modes, were also
employed.
Coro noted that the new Cuban third class (no code) license has
brought in many new radio amateurs, "and they are doing great,
already providing valuable emergency communications." Cuba runs a
40-hour training program to prepare candidates for the exam, and to
teach the importance of emergency communication ability.
Coro was also monitoring the Mexican 7060 kHz net that "tells me that
the destruction in Cancun, Cozumel and areas nearby is really huge."
+ "Tracker System" Employed in Florida This Season
Seventy-five radio amateurs met at the Florida state EOC in
Tallahassee on June 18, just prior to the start of this year's
hurricane season, to review the Northern Florida Emergency
Communications Plan update. Attendees included Section Managers from
the West Central Section, and Northern Florida Section, as well as
SECs, DECs, ECs and several Assistant Emergency Coordinators.
A review of 2004 hurricane activity and the state's operating
procedures led to several enhancements for this season. One was the
institution of the "Tracker System" for managing resources, including
the deployment of amateur operators. The 67 counties were required
to place their needs in the tracker system for resource management.
According to Rudy Hubbard, WA4PUP, Northern Florida's veteran Section
Manager, the tracker system was also used to assign Florida operators
to the Mississippi state EOC, at its request, after Katrina. The
volunteers were listed in a database maintained by Northern Florida
SEC Joe Bushel, W2DWR. The Mississippi operation called for 24/7 duty
for several weeks. Hubbard added "the three SMs and SECs of Alabama,
Mississippi and Northern Florida worked very well together" under
this system, as did the three Florida SMs and SECs. Cooperation and
collegiality were hallmarks of Amateur Radio responses this season.
The tracker system was also used for the Florida portion of the
Hurricane Wilma emergency. County managers, and the three SECs of the
state coordinated requirements and resources under the system. The
state EOC monitored the tracker system and it appears that all
requests for resources were handled expeditiously.
Hubbard concluded: "I highly recommend the tracker system as it
provides the instrument for managing our resources." [From various
reports. For more information on the tracker system, contact Rudy
Hubbard, WA4PUP <wa4pup@arrl.org}]
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