SKYWARN Newsletter #219

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Hello to all...

Welcome New Additions to the SKYWARN Newsletter Email List from Boxboro Hamfest...

Massachusetts ARES-SKYWARN Assists Voice Over IP Hurricane Frances SKYWARN Net...

Massachusetts ARES-SKYWARN Assists Voice Over IP Hurricane Ivan SKYWARN Net...

Hurricane Watch Net Needs Financial Support for Their Web-Site....

American Red Cross Disaster Service Courses Being Offered in Walpole Massachusetts....

ARRL Letter Article: Ham Radio Only Reliable Communication at Hurricane Charley Ground Zero...

ARRL Letter Article: Hurricane Net, WX4NHC Continue Helping Forecasters Track Frances...

ARRL Letter Article: Hurricane Frances Recovery Continues With Amateur Radio Help...

ARRL Letter Article: Hurricane Watch Net Facing Storms' Challenges....

ARRL Letter Article: Amateur Radio Swings into Action in Storm-Stricken Gulf Region...

ARRL Web Site Article: Hams Continue to Aid Hurricane Ivan Recovery and Cleanup....

ARRL web Site Article: Hams' Role in Hurricane Ivan Recovery Winding Down....

ARRL Web Site Article: ARES Team Activates for Delaware River Flooding....

***Newsletter Issued: 9/23/04.

Welcome New Additions to the SKYWARN Newsletter Email List from Boxboro Hamfest...

We've added numerous additional people who signed up for the SKYWARN Newsletter

Email List at the Boxboro Hamfest. We welcome those people to the list and

hope they find it an informative source of information for keeping up to

date on SKYWARN Activities.

This edition of the SKYWARN Newsletter is dedicated to the tremendous effort

Amateurs from across the US made as numerous hurricanes made landfall in

the Carribean and US East Coast. Two articles concern efforts done here at the

local level during Hurricane Frances and Ivan. Other articles were written by

personnel at ARRL articles and is annotated accordingly.

Future newsletters will feature SKYWARN Activation reports from this past

season's severe weather as well as 2-3 separate severe weather outbreak reports

and a report on a Damage Survey NWS did with the assistance of Amateur Radio

Operators to classify the F0 Woonsocket, RI microburst and the F1 Wrentham

Tornado and Microburst.

There will also be announcements on Red Cross and ARES training as well as mention

of the Southern New England Weather Conference coming up November 6th, 2004.

It is hoped that everyone will continue to enjoy the SKYWARN Newsletter as they

are issued periodically over the next few weeks and months.

Massachusetts ARES-SKYWARN Assists Voice Over IP Hurricane Frances SKYWARN Net...

Amateur Radio Operators involved in the NWS Taunton ARES-SKYWARN program in

Massachusetts were in a new support role over the Labor Day Weekend as net

controls for the Voice Over IP SKYWARN Net that assists in supporting the

National Hurricane Center which operates under call-sign, WX4NHC. The

purpose of the net is to forward estimated and measured wind information,

wind damage reports, barometric pressure, measured rainfall, coastal

flooding, river and stream flooding and any funnel cloud/tornado reports to

the National Hurricane Center when requested to do so by the National

Hurricane Center coordinators.

Amateur Radio Operators from SEMARA (the Southeast Massachusetts Amateur

Radio Association) ARES team, W1AEI-Arthur Irwin, W1RJC-Rick Cabral,

KD4CLJ-Dave Bodman from the Sturdy Memorial ARES team, KB1CYO-Phil

Mclaughlin from Norfolk County SKYWARN who is also an operator at NWS

Taunton, Ray Weber-KA1JJM, Western Massachusetts SKYWARN Coordinator and Rob

Macedo-KD1CY, the ARES SKYWARN Coordinator for NWS Taunton assisted in these

operations over the course of the past 3 days. This assistance included

acting as a primary net control for the net, acting as an assistant net

control to cover for the primary net control when sending reports online to

the National Hurricane Center, and reading critical NHC advisories to the

affected areas of Hurricane Frances.

The Voice Over IP WX Net utilizes the WX_TALK server on Echolink and IRLP

(Internet Radio Linking Project) reflector 9210 through a cross-link that

allows both systems to be connected simultaneously. This allows the National

Hurricane Center access to many Hams who may have weather station equipment

or who are SKYWARN Spotters that may not have HF capability or privileges.

It also allows net controls from around the United States and even

internationally to assist in operations. There were several net controls

from such far away places as Australia and Hawaii who covered the net during

the overnight hours in the affected area of Florida. This works well since

the operator's in these areas are covering during "their" daytime. In

addition, other net controls from Ohio, North Carolina, Washington, South

Carolina, Minnesota, Texas and other states and countries were monitoring

and assisting where required.

The SEMARA Club activated their Ham Station under call-sign W1AEC in support

of this effort. The club station has capability to reach numerous

Echolink/IRLP nodes and also allowed for monitoring and relaying to the

Hurricane Watch Net on HF frequency 14.325 KHz when required. A station just

outside of Stewart, Florida could not be heard by monitoring stations on the

Hurricane Watch Net and Hams at the SEMARA Club relayed the information to

the Hurricane Watch Net Control. The station in Stewart, Florida was looking

for a position on the eye and whether the severe northeast quadrant of the

eye had totally passed his location as he was without any capability to

receive weather bulletins and radar updates. Net Control operations out of

SEMARA was done by a team of Amateurs with at least 2 Amatuers present at

all times. KD4CLJ-Dave, KB1CYO-Phil and KA1JJM-Ray opeated out of their

home/work locations to provide support for the net.

Several dozen reports were handled by all the net controls including the

ones who served from Massachusetts ARES-SKYWARN. Five shifts of varying

lengths were covered in the varying capacities of Net Control and Assistant

Net Control stations by Amateurs in Massachusetts and many other shifts were

covered by Hams in other states and countries as stated previously. Many

criteria reports of wind damage as well as measured and estimated winds were

received by the net. One station in the affected area, KA4EPS-Lou from

Deerfield Beach Florida gave several wind measurement reports at his

location and at another residence's location in Boynton Beach Inlet near

Malapan, Florida as well as wind damage reports from his area to net

controls from Massachusetts and other states during the course of the net. A

peak wind gust of 113 MPH was measured at Boynton Beach Inlet before the

anemometer was destroyed by the storm per a report recieved this morning. In

addition, liaisons to SKYWARN Nets in the Tampa Bay area as well as Broward

County Florida were also on frequency. Numerous stations from the Orlando

and Daytona Beach Florida area were also on the air giving reports of

criteria to be forwarded to the National Hurricane Center. Former NWS

Taunton Amateur Radio Operator, Mike Leger, N1YLQ, who formerly lived in

Massachusetts and now lives in Florida, provided reports to both the VoIP WX

Net and the Hurricane Watch Net from the backup Daytona Beach Red Cross EOC

in Deland, Florida and is providing support to Red Cross operations.

The experience has given Amateurs in Massachusetts a taste of what a

hurricane can bring to the region as well as enhanced critical skills in

determining what data should be sent to the National Hurricane Center if a

hurricane strikes the NWS Taunton County Warning area.

Massachusetts ARES-SKYWARN Assists Voice Over IP Hurricane Ivan SKYWARN Net...

Massachusetts ARES-SKYWARN assisted the Voice Over IP SKYWARN Net once again

as Hurricane Ivan threatened the Carribean Islands of Barbados, Grenada, Dominica

and other Leeward Islands and went on to impact Jamaica, the Cayman Islands,

and Cuba and then pounded Southern Alabama and the panhandle of Florida as

a strong Cateogry-III Hurricane. Massachusetts ARES-SKYWARN assisted by

providing net control duties during the course of the long activation. The

SEMARA (Southeast Massachusetts Amateur Radio Association) ARES team activated

to support the net through the efforts of W1AEI-Arthur Irwin, W1RJC-Rick

Cabral, N1XRS-Tony Duarte and KD1CY-Rob Macedo. In addition, NWS Taunton Operators

KB1CYO-Phil McLaughlin and KD4CLJ-Dave Bodman also assisted with net control

duties.

The Voice Over IP Hurricane Net played a huge role in getting important data

from the Carribean Islands as Hurricane Ivan affected those areas. The Grenada

EOC was on the air through the efforts of Cletus-J39JQ. In addition, Clem-J73CI

from the island of Dominica relayed reports from his island as well as other islands

on the Leeward Island chain including Barbados. Reports were received

from Grenada of roofs blown off buildings, trees down and significant

damage. Other reports of serious damage were relayed by Clem-J73CI from

Barbados and the other islands. The reports were invaluable to the National

Hurricane Center and WD4R-Julio Ripoll and K4AR-John McHugh, NHC Coordinators

were monitoring the Echolink-IRLP system throughout the event from the

National Hurricane Center-WX4NHC.

As Ivan moved away from the Leeward Islands, the net was briefly deactivated

before it approached Jamaica and was reactivated. Contact was made with the

IRLP owner on Jamaica and 6Y5KT-Chris and 6Y5AG-Gerald from Kingston, Jamaica

were on the node giving reports. Chris had a weather station and gave critical

measured wind speed and rainfall data. Gerald was located at the Meteological

Office in Jamaica and gave updates from the radar located at the MET Office.

Other reports of damage were received from a public citizen in Jamaica via

Internet chat through the efforts of Ray Weber-KA1JJM.

Contact was made with ZF1DG-Durl, who owns the IRLP node on the Cayman Islands.

The node did not have backup power, however, and was not used during the

activation. Durl was heard on the Hurricane Watch Net and he along with

other Amateurs, relayed reports of damage on the Cayman Islands to

the Hurricane Watch Net on 14.325 MHz. A report of people standing on

the roofs of homes to escape storm surge was received via Amateur Radio

and Amateur Radio was named in several news sources on Television and

via the Internet for providing the reports.

Hurricane Ivan pounded Cuba but there were no IRLP-Echolink nodes in

Cuba so the VoIP net stood down awaiting US Gulf Coast impact. The Hurricane

Watch Net on HF, 14.325 MHz remained active gathering reports from Cuba.

Ivan approached the US Gulf Coast and made landfall just east of Mobile, Alabama

and the VoIP Hurricane Net was active.

Reports came in of conditions near tropical storm force in Louisiana with

large limbs down reported in New Orleans along with measured wind data

from New Orleans and Tarryville, Louisiana through the efforts of

N5HUM-Scott who lives in New Orleans. Repeaters were linked in from

across Southeast Louisiana, Mobile Alabama and points in Northern Alabama.

Reports of trees down and power outages were received in Mobile, Alabama

and locations just outside of Mobile. The Mobile EOC was active under

call-sign K4DID. N4UXY-Danny, KE4MUR-Chris, KF4FFN-Bob and KF4ETP-Ben kept

everyone informed of conditions across the Mobile, Alabama area.

The VoIP Hurricane Net was active Wednesday through Thursday Morning and secured

at 11 AM after the latest advisory information was issued and the NHC Coordinators

secured the activation at the National Hurricane Center. Hurricane Ivan

provided another source of training for Massachusetts ARES-SKYWARN Amateur

Radio Operators and allowed us to learn to deal with some of the

Carribean Islands and the issues that they see during major hurricanes.

Amateur Radio Newsline featured the efforts of the VoIP Hurricane Net in two

consecutive issues of their weekly newsline program. To hear the newsline

program featuring the efforts of the Hurricane Watch Net and the VoIP WX

Net, please go to the following link:

http://www.arnewsline.org/

Transcripts and the latest newsline program are featured on that web-site.

Hurricane Watch Net Needs Financial Support for Their Web-Site....

The Hurricane Watch Net has requested financial support for their web-site

due to very significant volume on their site during hurricanes. It has come

close to crashing the web-site if it weren't for extreme measures put in place

by the Hurricane Watch Net staff to keep the site working. They now need

financial support to put a permanent fix into place. If you can lend financial

support, please see the link below for more information and multiple ways to

send donations.

http://www.hwn.org/home/hwn-newsletter.html#help

The Hurricane Watch Net has been around for close to 30 years supporting the

National Hurricane Center and provides a tremendous public service to the

Center as well as to the public. If you can support the Hurricane Watch Net's

needs, they will greatly appreciate it.

American Red Cross Disaster Service Courses Being Offered in Walpole Massachusetts....

The following announcement is from the town of Walpole, Massachusetts Emergency

Management Agency Director Roger Turner, W1ZSA concerning Red Cross Disaster Services classes being offered in his community.

Walpole Emergency Management is pleased to be hosting the four American Red Cross disaster services programs. These free informative programs are open to all and will be held from 7 –9:30 PM on Thursday evenings at the Walpole Senior Center located in the Walpole Town Hall 135 School Street, Walpole. The programs will provide an in depth overview of Disaster Services, Mass Care, Shelter Management and Disaster Assessment.

September 30, 2004, Introduction to Disaster Services:

This is the prerequisite course for all of the programs. The course provides fundamental information about disasters, community response and the Role of the Red Cross Disaster Services.

October 7, 2004, Mass Care:

This course explains Mass Care disaster relief operations.

October 14, 2004, Shelter Operations:

Describes shelter operations, shelter opening and closing.

November 4, 2004, Disaster Assessment:

This newly revised program describes pre and post disaster assessment and covers the five steps in disaster assessment essential to evaluating the services require for disaster recovery.

The programs are multi-media based and are designed for a broad based audience. The courses are of particular interest to anyone who would like to help during an emergency, who is interested in emergency service, may be in a situation where you or your family might be in the need of disaster services or know someone who might be in need of disaster services. Certified Red Cross Disaster Services instructors will teach the courses and certificates will be issued for each session.

To Pre-register and for information about these programs, please call Roger

at 508-660-7365. Please leave a message if no one is in the office.

ARRL Letter Article: Ham Radio Only Reliable Communication at Hurricane Charley Ground Zero...

The following is an article from the ARRL Letter on Amateur Radio Support during Hurricane

Charley.

==>HAM RADIO "ONLY RELIABLE COMMUNICATION" AT HURRICANE CHARLEY GROUND

ZERO

Once again, Amateur Radio has proven its value in an emergency. With

conventional telecommunication systems unreliable and power still out

after the Category 4 Hurricane Charley blasted across the Florida

Peninsula August 13, Amateur Radio has proven to be a communication

mainstay.

"The only reliable communication we have here is Amateur Radio," ARRL West

Central Florida Section Manager Dave Armbrust, AE4MR, told ARRL earlier

this week. He was one of the three dozen ARES volunteers at the Charlotte

County command post. "We're out in the field trying to handle so many

different things that it's almost overwhelming," he said five days into

the activation.

By week's end, the need for additional ARES volunteers in the Hurricane

Charley relief and recovery effort had stabilized. Communications and

Warning Officer John Fleming, WD4FFX, of the Florida Division of Emergency

Management (FDEM) told ARRL that ham radio volunteers already on duty in

the five most severely affected counties were holding their own in

maintaining necessary emergency communication. But he advised Amateur

Radio volunteers to remain at the ready, just in case, and recommended

that ARES teams, clubs and individuals work through their ARES Section

Emergency Coordinator.

The FDEM says Hurricane Charley caused two dozen deaths and nearly 4000

injuries, and almost a quarter-million residents were still without power

at week's end. Other reports indicate that as many as 10,000 homes were

badly damaged or destroyed.

The most severely stricken communities are in largely rural areas of

western and central Florida made up of smaller towns. Among other storm

relief duties, hams have been part of an effort to check on residents and

determine what they need and to "make sure everyone's okay," Armbrust

said.

Amateur Radio operators have been handling emergency traffic and assisting

the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in setting up HF

communication to the state emergency operations center in the capital of

Tallahassee. ARES also has provided communication for search-and-rescue

teams and supported American Red Cross and The Salvation Army humanitarian

relief efforts.

In addition, ARES operators handled outgoing health-and-welfare traffic

from storm victims now taking refuge in shelters, provided or supplemented

public safety communication and even took on some dispatching duties.

Amateur Radio volunteers also deployed to hospitals, some of which have

experienced spotty communication. Several VHF and UHF repeaters have been

buzzing with emergency traffic all week.

Armbrust emphasized that Hurricane Charley cut a broad swath across

Florida, and the devastation was widespread. "This looks like a war zone,"

he remarked. Hot, humid weather has aggravated the relief effort,

especially for emergency medical service personnel who not only are

dealing with storm-related health issues but with those resulting from the

heat.

ARES teams from Florida Miami-Dade, Martin, St Lucie, Broward, Okeechobee

and Palm Beach counties deployed to relieve or assist the amateur

operators on duty in the affected communities.

In Sarasota County, Ron Wetjen, WD4AHZ, has been working at the county EOC

and assigning volunteers to assist in neighboring Charlotte County, where

Armbrust has been holding down the fort.

"We've had offers of help from guys in Montana, Ohio, and New York!"

Wetjen said August 19. "We have a couple from Tennessee here now, with two

more on the way for the weekend."

The Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) on 14.265 MHz

spent nearly five days in continuous operation. It's also used Amateur

Radio for its logistical communications. The Salvation Army has been

providing meals, household necessities and other assistance to residents

displaced by the storm and has been relying on its own Amateur Radio

resources. SATERN also has taken on responsibility for health-and-welfare

inquiries, both via Amateur Radio and through its Web site

<http://www.satern.net>.

In advance of the storm, SKYWARN teams were active the Hurricane Watch Net

and WX4NHC at the National Hurricane Center cooperated to gather

ground-level weather data and damage reports.

"It seems as if the Amateur Radio world is listening and waiting to help

when an event such as this occurs," observed SATERN National Director Pat

McPherson, WW9E, "and it's edifying to realize the positive impact of

their dedication to the task of helping others."

ARRL Letter Article: Hurricane Net, WX4NHC Continue Helping Forecasters Track Frances...

The following is an ARRL Letter Article concerning the Hurricane Net and the National

Hurricane Center Ham Station, WX4NHC, while tracking Frances earlier in September:

==>HURRICANE NET, WX4NHC CONTINUE HELPING FORECASTERS TRACK FRANCES

The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) on 14.325 MHz this week has been working

hand-in-hand with WX4NHC at the National Hurricane Center (NHC) to relay

weather data and damage reports as a downgraded Hurricane Frances

continues on what appears to be an inevitable collision with Florida's

Atlantic Coast. As of September 3 at 1800 UTC, the National Hurricane

Center said Frances was "relentlessly lashing central and western Bahamas"

while slowly heading for Florida.

"We continue to have torrential rains," Marti Brown, KF4TRG/C6A, on Abaco

reported to the HWN net control station September 3. "It's essentially a

whiteout condition." Her report, typical of those being gathered, may

portend what Southern Florida can expect. Another Amateur Radio report

from the Bahamas indicated that seas were breaching the dunes of the

beach, and residents were evacuating.

All such reports, typically including real-time measured weather data, are

passed along to WX4NHC at the National Hurricane Center for forecasters to

review. HWN operators have been handling and relaying all reports with

businesslike efficiency, despite occasional QRM--some of it possibly

intentional.

HWN Manager Mike Pilgrim, K5MP, in Boca Raton, Florida, briefly checked

into the net using an indoor antenna "in case we need it," he told net

control. The latest National Hurricane Center forecast is available via

the HWN Web site <http://www.hwn.org/atlantic/hapt31us.htm>, which

includes graphics.

During hurricanes and severe weather emergencies, trained HWN members work

in cooperation with WX4NHC to relay observed or measured weather data and

damage reports to forecasters via Amateur Radio. The ground-level weather

data assist NHC forecasters in predicting a storm's path and behavior.

Frances was downgraded September 3 to a Category 3 hurricane, with winds

of 115 MPH with higher gusts. Its forward motion was expected to continue

to slow, however, perhaps buying some time for Floridians preparing for or

escaping the storm's anticipated wrath.

As the state continued to recover from Hurricane Charley in mid-August,

Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) teams throughout Florida this week

got ready for another punishing storm. Some communities hard-hit by

Charley are in the potential path of Hurricane Frances.

Special sessions of the Southern Florida ARES Net (SFAN) to coordinate

response activities (Florida Midday Traffic Net and Tropical Phone Traffic

Net, both on 7242 kHZ) were called up this week. Southern Florida ARES

Section Emergency Coordinator Jim Goldsberry, KD4GR, says the Broward

County Emergency Preparedness Net activated September 2 from the Broward

County emergency operations center (EOC).

Palm Beach County also was recruiting ARES volunteers for shelter and EOC

communicator duty. Palm Beach County RACES Officer Mark Filla, KS4VT,

reported coastline and mobile home evacuations were under way.

"This is not a drill," emphasized Polk County Assistant Emergency

Coordinator Wayne Miles, KG4TCJ, in a message to the Florida ARES

reflector. Among the areas assaulted by Hurricane Charley, Polk County

ARES has begun conducting informational nets (146.985 MHz, 127.3 Hz tone)

at the top of every hour.

Earlier this week, Indian River County Emergency Management's Nathan

McCollum put that county's Auxiliary Communication Services (ACS)--a

Citizen Corps group--on a "Level 1" alert. The ACS includes Amateur Radio

and REACT communication resources.

SATERN, the Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network, planned to

activate September 4 at 1400 UTC on 14.265 MHz. SATERN will handle

emergency and health-and-welfare traffic for those attempting to get news

of friend and relatives in the affected areas. SATERN also accepts

specific H&W inquiries via its Web page <http://www.satern.org>.

A fairly new all-CW entity, the National Radio Emergency Net (NREN),

activated September 3 in response to Hurricane Frances to monitor 14,050

kHz and 7050 kHz for health-and-welfare, emergency traffic and hurricane

information throughout the weekend. NREN is geared to low-power, portable

and mobile stations.

ARRL West Central Florida Section Manager Dave Armbrust, AE4MR, said

Hillsborough County and Sarasota County ARES were preparing for ARES

Mutual Assistance Team (ARESMAT) deployments. "If your county is not

directly hit, please be ready to lend a hand elsewhere if requested," he

advised.

In a message to the Tampa Amateur Radio Club Hillsborough County of

Emergency Management Director Larry Gispert, KR4X, said that many

emergency workers were "very impressed" by what Amateur Radio volunteers

were able to accomplish during Hurricane Charley.

"In this day and age of ubiquitous Internet access and prolific cell phone

usage, it is still amazing that when the chips are down the only reliable

form of communication is a bunch of hams with their radios," Gispert said.

ARRL Letter Article: Hurricane Frances Recovery Continues With Amateur Radio Help...

The following is another ARRL Letter Article on Hurricane Frances recovery efforts.

==>HURRICANE FRANCES RECOVERY CONTINUES WITH AMATEUR RADIO HELP

As Florida recovers from Hurricane Frances, Amateur Radio Emergency

Service (ARES) and Radio Amateur Emergency Service (RACES) members

throughout the state this week continued to support communication for

shelters, local emergency operation centers (EOCs) and anywhere else they

were needed. From Palm Beach County, Southern Florida Assistant Section

Manager Jeff Beals, WA4AW, reports that ARES/RACES activated September 2,

prior to Frances' making landfall.

"Over 50 amateurs assisted with communications support during the Frances

operation," Beals said of the Palm Beach response. "Some positions were

manned by their operators for the first 36 hours before relief was

available." He worked with Palm Beach Emergency Coordinator Dave

Messinger, N4QPM, in the county emergency operations center (EOC).

Like much of Southern Florida, Palm Beach County remains in the recovery

stage, and some areas still were without commercial power or telephone

service at week's end. While shelters there have closed, the EOC remained

up and running to handle logistical communications. Over the Labor Day

weekend, hams were called on to help back up the county's public safety

radio system after it went down for about 11 hours. While most of the

traffic was routine, hams did relay a fire call.

The Melbourne Hamfest, scheduled for September 11 and 12, was canceled due

to the effects of Hurricane Frances.

Southern Florida Section Emergency Coordinator Jim Goldsberry, KD4GR, said

at week's end that relief operators still were needed in Brevard County.

West Central Florida SM Dave Armbrust, AE4MR, also was looking for

volunteers for standby relief duty.

In Volusia County, ARES/RACES was active in the Daytona Beach area. Mike

Glennon, KB4JHU, came from Tullahoma, Tennessee, with his communications

trailer to pitch in. Gary Pearce, KN4AQ, of Amateur Radio//Video News,

reports that seven hams from Tennessee and Georgia turned out to relieve

exhausted Florida locals.

"Mike was stationed at one of five assistance centers in the county where

residents could pick up ice and supplies," Pearce said, adding that

Volusia County ARES/RACES EC Fred Magliacane, KF4VRS, managed to keep

going despite very little sleep during the activation.

In Clay County, southwest of Jacksonville in northern Florida, Vern

Ferris, W4NEK, reports that his ARES team provided shelter communications

over the Labor Day weekend until telephone service there was restored.

In a comments posted on the ARRL mentor reflector, Gary Johansan, WD4NKA,

in Deltona, Florida, said even Hiram Percy Maxim would be impressed by the

"old fashioned hamming" he monitored on the emergency nets. His family

evacuated to Orlando, and he's still awaiting the restoration of

electrical power. He said cell phones were useless in large areas of

Volusia County until well after Frances left the peninsula.

"Ham Radio may be a lot of things," Johanson said, "but one thing the twin

storms have proven to us on the peninsula is this: Ham radio is absolutely

relevant."

ARRL Letter Article: Hurricane Watch Net Facing Storms' Challenges....

The following is another ARRL Letter Article detailing the efforts of the

Hurricane Watch Net.

==>HURRICANE WATCH NET FACING STORMS' CHALLENGES

With hurricanes threatening almost at the rate of one per week since

mid-August, the Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) has had a busy time of things.

Following a brief respite after seven straight days in operation, the HWN

reactivated on 14.325 MHz at week's end for Hurricane Ivan--a powerful and

dangerous storm that attained Category 5 level this week before throttling

back to a Category 4 storm. After wreaking havoc in the Windward Islands,

Grenada, Trinidad and the northern coast of Venezuela, Ivan was expected

to hit Jamaica by early September 11--if not sooner. Reports to the net

from maritime mobiles, primarily in Grenada, indicated severe damage from

Ivan, which was packing 145 MPH winds as it approached Jamaica.

"We will be listening for reporting stations in Jamaica before turning our

attention to Cuba, which is next in the path," HWN Manager Mike Pilgrim,

K5MP, said. He said he anticipates the HWN will remain active during

20-meter band openings until Ivan no longer represents a threat to

populated areas.

If Ivan continues on its current track as of week's end, it will be in the

Straits of Florida by September 13, according to National Hurricane Center

projections. Pilgrim, who lives in Boca Raton in southern Florida, said

the storm appears to be a threat to the entire state. Authorities already

have issued a mandatory evacuation order for tourists and mobile home

dwellers in the Keys, he said, but given the chancy logistics of

evacuating, Pilgrim is planning to hunker down for the storm, should it

arrive.

Pilgrim says he just got electricity back September 6--he has an auxiliary

generator for his household and a deep-cycle battery for his ham gear--but

he didn't have telephone service, including cellular, until September 8.

He says half of his community remains in the dark.

The HWN works hand-in-hand with WX4NHC at the National Hurricane Center in

Miami to gather ground-level weather data and damage reports from Amateur

Radio volunteers in a storm's path. The net relays these to forecasters

via WX4NHC, which regularly checks into the net and also disseminates

weather updates.

The recent hurricane activations also have generated an unprecedented

level of activity on the HWN Web site, Pilgrim said. As a result, the HWN

has issued a plea for contributions to purchase additional Web capacity

<http://www.hwn.org/home/hwn-newsletter.html#help>. The Hurricane Watch

Net Web site <http://www.hwn.org> offers access to the latest weather

forecasts as well as storm graphics.

The Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) on 14.265 MHz

closed down at September 7 at 2100 UTC following five straight days of

operation in response to Hurricane Frances. During that time, the net

handled 181 health-and-welfare inquiries.

"I continue to marvel at the stellar effort that amateur operators give

across the nation when catastrophe strikes," said SATERN National

Coordinator Pat McPherson, WW9E. Some SATERN volunteer operators put in

14-hour days to guarantee that people were helped, he said. As of week's

end, SATERN was standing by to assist if needed in response to Hurricane

Ivan

ARRL Letter Article: Amateur Radio Swings into Action in Storm-Stricken Gulf Region...

Another ARRL Letter Article concerning Amateur Radio's efforts during Hurricane Ivan.

==>AMATEUR RADIO SWINGS INTO ACTION IN STORM-STRICKEN GULF REGION

Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) teams were ready and waiting as

Hurricane Ivan devastated entire sections of the US Gulf Coast early

September 16. Packing 115 MPH winds as it made landfall, Ivan zeroed in on

the Mobile Bay area of Alabama, but because of its huge girth, the storm

wrought widespread death and destruction in the Florida Panhandle and also

affected Mississippi. Below-sea-level New Orleans was spared major

flooding, however. Alabama Section Emergency Coordinator Jay Isbell,

KA4KUN, said ham radio has been helping relief agencies, especially in the

hard-hit southernmost counties.

"Right now the adrenaline's still up," he said September 16 of volunteers

staffing a statewide ARES communication network--an HF net with liaisons

to local repeaters and including all of the state's emergency operations

centers. "Most everybody south of us is operating on emergency power."

In Baldwin and Mobile counties--which straddle Mobile Bay--telephone

service was out, so ham radio was providing a substantial communication

link, Isbell said. "We're giving their messages priority." Most traffic

has been logistical--requests for shelter cots, tarpaulins and

generators--"but they've also asked for three four-wheel drive vehicles

and a helicopter for search and rescue as well as damage assessment," he

said.

ARES teams along the Gulf have been providing communication support for

the Red Cross, The Salvation Army and the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief

organization. ARES already is assisting with damage assessment activity,

for the first time using Global Positioning System units and computerized

mapping as an aid.

ARRL Alabama SM Greg Sarratt, W4OZK, praised Isbell's efforts and said

he's proud of Alabama's radio amateurs. "Many amateurs stepped up to

provide communications and assistance," he said. "Several amateurs

traveled to Southern Alabama before Ivan to help get ready for the

hurricane." He said others traveled to the Mobile area to help emergency

managers "and people they don't even know."

In Northern Florida, Western Panhandle ARES District Emergency Coordinator

Bill Hayden, WY8O, reported damage assessment was under way in Okaloosa

County, where the storm took out several repeaters and telephone service.

In southern Santa Rosa County, massive flooding and several fatalities

were reported, and refugees were forced to take shelter. In Escambia

County, five shelters and four hospitals sustained storm damage, and

several people died. The hurricane destroyed the Interstate 10 bridge

connecting Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, cutting off residents and

relief workers alike.

At week's end, Northern Florida Section Traffic Manager Dale Sewell,

N4SGQ, was working up a list of relief personnel and waiting on how to get

them into the affected area. "Having lived in Pensacola for 35 years, I

know the complications of being surrounded on so many sides by water,"

Sewell said. "I just never imagined that all the routes would be cut off

simultaneously." He said Escambia County was left virtually without power,

which utilities say could take three weeks to restore.

In Mississippi, ARRL SM Malcolm Keown, W5XX, reported that outside of some

"significant interference" the West Gulf ARES Net operation went smoothly.

Most traffic was tactical, he said, to help the Red Cross with needed

equipment and supplies. The net, on 7285 and 3873 kHz, operates in

accordance with a memorandum of understanding among the ARRL Louisiana,

Mississippi and South Texas sections.

Keown says ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, stepped in to restore the

fallen dipole antenna of West Gulf ARES Net National Traffic System

Coordinator Carolyn Womack, KC5OZT, who's also North Texas Section Traffic

Manager. "He went over and fixed it, and by 4 o'clock she was back on the

air, so chalk one up for the ARRL president!" Keown said.

The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) <http://www.hwn.org> on 14.325 MHz secured

operations for Hurricane Ivan September 16, but only to take another

breather before an anticipated reactivation for Hurricane Jeanne in a few

days. The nearly continuous activations over the past four weeks have

taken a toll on HWN members, HWN Manager Mike Pilgrim, K5MP, told ARRL,

and several were affected by storm-related damage.

The HWN coordinates its activities with WX4NHC <http://www.wx4nhc.org> at

the National Hurricane Center to gather real-time ground-level weather

data and damage reports from Amateur Radio volunteers in a storm's path

and relay these to forecasters. This hurricane season WX4NHC has been

taking advantage of IRLP and EchoLink via the new VOIPWX Net

<http://www.voipwx.net/>, which also provides streaming audio.

The Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN)

<http://www.satern.org> on 14.265 MHz has been handling health-and-welfare

inquiries in the wake of the recent round of hurricanes. The net also

handles emergency communications from storm-affected areas. SATERN also

takes health-and-welfare inquiries via its Web site.

The National Weather Service was warning areas still in the path of the

remnants of Hurricane Ivan that they could be in for heavy rainfall and

possible tornadoes.

ARRL Web Site Article: Hams Continue to Aid Hurricane Ivan Recovery and Cleanup....

NEWINGTON, CT, Sep 20, 2004--Amateur Radio operators in two of the worst-hit

counties in the Florida Panhandle are into their fourth day of supporting

Hurricane Ivan relief and recovery operations. Escambia County ARES

Emergency Coordinator Gene Bannon, KB4HAH, said today that he has enough

operators for the moment at the county emergency operations center (EOC)

and in the field. Telephone service is still spotty, and power is out over most

of Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. ARES has been supporting American Red Cross

and The Salvation Army relief operations as well as food distribution centers,

evacuation shelters and even the US military.

"This has all been one big day to me," said Bannon of the time since the

hurricane hit. Bannon not only is the county's EC, he works for telephone

provider Bell South. "If I'm not working for Bell South, I'm working down

at the EOC." Bannon says the same group of radio amateurs has been taking

turns handling emergency traffic since the hurricane struck September 17.

A mandatory evacuation order remains in effect in Escambia county, and schools

and government offices in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties are closed

until further notice.

Problems continue to crop up for the ARES operation as a result of the

storm's widespread devastation. "They're not brush fires, they're forest

fires," Bannon said. "This morning, the repeater died."

Fortunately, he said, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has a new

replacement repeater on the way, but Bannon remains concerned about the rest

of the system, including the antennas. Another local repeater was lost to the

storm, and the EOC communicators have been working with a secondary backup repeater.

Bannon also was uncertain Monday about how members of the ARES team were

holding up or how long they would be able to stay at their volunteer posts

before having to return to their jobs or their homes and families. He has a

request on file for another 20 operators (call 850-595-3341). His son-in-law

John Krantz, KG4GGL, lost essentially everything in the storm and has been

working at the EOC since the hurricane came ashore. He says the 15 or 16

operators now on duty at the EOC and in the field had been working 16-hour

shifts but have since dropped back to 8-hour shifts. The homes of many other

county amateurs also were lost--although Bannon's was spared serious damage--and

nearly all lost antenna systems.

Bannon says a ham radio couple from Texas on their honeymoon "showed up on our

doorstep and said, 'We're ready to operate. Where do you want us?'" He said

the couple--Dale Walker, AA5DW, and Chanda Bartlett, AD5IQ--arrived with their

RV loaded with a month's worth of food and two weeks of fuel, and he's been

taking advantage of their largesse in the ARES activation. The RV, he said,

is equipped for everything from HF on up. The couple had been handling shelter

communications but now is providing communication between a Red Cross feeding

station and the EOC.

Krantz said there were not enough ARES operators to deal with health-and-welfare

traffic at this point. The Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN)

on 14.265 MHz has been handling some H&W traffic as it is able, on the air and

via its Web site.

Northern Florida Section Traffic Manager Dale Sewell, N4SGQ, says he understands

that supply distribution lines are very long for the local community, and stress

levels are running high.

"Travel routes continue to be cut off and rerouted by National Guard personnel,"

he added. "Fuel availability is scarce, and amateurs are reporting that the only

reasonable gas lines are over 50 miles from Pensacola in Walton County."

He said amateur operations continue to utilize incoming operator support in both

counties. "The response from amateurs throughout the country is outstanding,"

he said. He anticipated another two dozen or so radio amateurs might be needed

this week in both Escambia County and Pensacola as well as in Santa Rosa County,

where he said District Emergency Coordinator Bill Hayden, WY8O, has been

"performing tirelessly under merciless conditions" in coordinating ARES operations.

Hayden has a request on file for another 16 radio amateurs to report to the

Santa Rosa County EOC (850-983-5360; 4499 Pine Forest Road, Milton). Operators

should be equipped for VHF communication, and HF capability would be a plus.

The operation could last for the next week. ARRL was unable to reach Hayden

on September 20.

Amateurs this week also have been keeping an ear on HF emergency nets on

3950 and 7254 kHz. Nets are being called up at 1300, 1600, 1900 and 2330 UTC daily.

ARRL Web Site Article: ARES Team Activates for Delaware River Flooding

An additional ARRL Web-Site article that was part of the Ivan article above, showed

how NJ ARES/RACES was active as the remnants of Ivan affected the area.

Much farther north, in Mercer County, New Jersey, ARES/RACES activated over the

weekend to staff the radio room at the Mercer County EOC after emergency managers

found themselves dealing with flooding. The high water was a result of heavy

rainfall from remnants of Hurricane Ivan in the Catskill and Pocono Mountains,

causing the Delaware River to reach its highest flood levels in 50 years.

Southern New Jersey Section Emergency Coordinator Gary Wilson, K2GW, reported

that debris in the river, which included a 1000-gallon propane tank, caused

periodic bridge closures over the weekend. Some 1500 people had to evacuate

September 19 to three shelters, area hotels and other sites. Wilson said the

river was expected to recede below flood stage by this evening.

Mercer County radio amateurs staffed the EOC's W2MER Amateur Radio station

continuously in four-hour shifts until this morning. Additional amateurs were on

call via the W2ZQ Mercer County ARES/RACES repeater.

"The hams used the NJOEM statewide 220 MHz NJ2EM repeater and the statewide 2

meter APRS digital messaging network to maintain links with the Hunterdon

County and Warren County EOCs farther up the river," Wilson said. "Per the

Mercer County EOC protocol, the hams also were the operators of the public

safety radios in the EOC to maintain contact with the sheriff officers

coordinating the evacuations along the river." Seven ARES/RACES members took

part in the activation.

ARRL web Site Article: Hams' Role in Hurricane Ivan Recovery Winding Down....

The following is the ARRL Web Site article concerning the latest on Ham

Support for Hurricane Ivan Winding Down. The article is below:

NEWINGTON, CT, Sep 22, 2004--Amateur Radio's role in the Hurricane Ivan relief and

recovery effort is winding down as conventional telecommunications systems are

slowly being restored throughout the stricken regions--primarily the Florida

Panhandle and South Alabama. ARRL Northern Florida Section Traffic Manager

Dale Sewell, N4SGQ, this week said Amateur Radio communication support

operations are expected to stand down by this weekend.

"The request for additional operators for assistance in the Hurricane Ivan

affected area is discontinued," he said. "Thanks to all who have helped in

this critical operation."

Sewell told ARRL that he was gratified and inspired by the response to the calls

for assistance over the past week since Hurricane Ivan struck. He noted that

several of the radio amateurs who turned out to assist in Northern Florida

were from the ARRL West Central Florida and Southern Florida sections. Among

them were some of the same individuals and groups that had helped after

hurricanes Charley and Frances.

Escambia and Santa Rosa counties were among the most severely affected in

Northern Florida. Amateur Radio Emergency Service volunteers there have been

supporting American Red Cross and The Salvation Army relief operations as well

as food distribution centers and evacuation centers.

Alabama Section Manager Greg Sarratt, W4OZK, says Hurricane Ivan reports

continue to trickle in from South Alabama, where the cleanup and recovery

continue, although Alabama Emergency Net Manager Chris Sells, AC4CS, says

parts of Mobile and Baldwin counties remain flooded and inaccessible. He says

devastation was nearly total in some areas.

"A lot of places that were there are not," he told ARRL. "For example, Gulf

Shores is there, but it's not Gulf Shores anymore."

Sells said HF nets aided local Amateur Radio relief and recovery communication

by providing a link from the hard-hit areas to the state emergency operations

center near Birmingham. He said net members have stood down from continuous

operation but are still monitoring 3965 kHz in case anything comes up.

The National Traffic System in South Alabama still was not taking any

health-and-welfare inquiries, Sells said, because "they're just not equipped

to do it." Inquiries now in the system are being held until the situation

settles down and they can be passed, and with emergency traffic now slowing,

Sells thinks the H&W traffic will start to flow. The Salvation Army Team

Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) on 14.265 MHz has been handling some H&W

traffic as it is able, on the air and via its Web site.

Significant damage also occurred in central and northern Alabama, where

high winds felled trees and power lines, and heavy rains caused flooding.

The storm also spawned some tornadoes.

Sarratt reports that a federal disaster declaration covers nearly half of the

state's 67 counties. More than 14,000 Alabamans took refuge in the nearly 150

shelters, and many remain there. More than 1 million households were left

without electrical power, and dozens of roads had to be closed to traffic.

Sells said he believes that storm damage and a lack of available power at

Amateur Radio stations in South Alabama has inhibited traffic from that

region. "Alabama has not seen a major hurricane of this magnitude in about

25 years--not since Hurricane Frederick in 1979," he said.

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)

ARES SKYWARN Coordinator

Southeast Massachusetts ARES District Emergency Coordinator

SEMARA ARES Emergency Coordinator

Pager #: (508) 354-3142

Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)

Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)

Work Phone #: 1-800-445-2588 Ext.: 72929 (8 AM-5 PM)

Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com

http://users.rcn.com/rmacedo

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