SKYWARN Newsletter #244

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Hello to all...

Welcome to New Members of the SKYWARN Email List....

SKYWARN Training in Full Swing Across the Region....

WX1BOX Web Site Updated to Include SKYWARN Newsletter Archive....

Patriots Day Major Nor'easter Prompts Longest Consecutive Hour SKYWARN Activation Ever....

Massachusetts Hurricane Drill Monday June 4th, 2007 from 7-9 PM ET....

Hurricane Awareness Tour in North Kingstown, RI on April 30th, 2007 a Huge Success....

National Hurricane Center Announces Hurricane Preparedness Week 5/20-5/26/07....

WX4NHC Annual Communications Saturday June 2nd, 2007 9 AM-5 PM ET/1300-2200 UTC....

ARRL Letter Article: Northeast Amateur Radio Volunteers Aid Massive Storm Response, Recovery....

ARRL Letter Article: Amateur Radio Participates in 2007 National Hurricane Conference....

ARRL Letter In-Brief Article: Texas Radio Amateur Among 2007 National Environmental Heroes....

ARRL Letter/Web Article: Amateurs Served Those Displaced by Kansas Twisters

Newsletter Issued: 5/20/2007.

Welcome to New Members of the SKYWARN Email List....

As SKYWARN Training 2007 has kicked off over the region, we've added

close to 90 new people to the SKYWARN Newsletter and coordination

email list. We'd like to welcome those new to the email list and hope

you'll find this information useful for weather preparedness and for

support of the NWS Taunton SKYWARN program.

SKYWARN Training in Full Swing Across the Region....

SKYWARN training is now in full swing across the region. Training

sessions have averaged 25-50 people with some sites such as Providence,

RI and Six Flags obtaining around 60 people. Additional sessions are

scheduled for June with the potential for a small number of additional

sessions in July. For the latest schedule, please see the following

link at http://www.wx1box.org and click on the SKYWARN Training

Schedule link. Sessions in June include Whitman, Mass, Athol, Mass,

Acushnet, Mass, Manchester, CT and Beverly, Mass. See the WX1BOX

web site for further details.

WX1BOX Web Site Updated to Include SKYWARN Newsletter Archive....

The WX1BOX web site has been updated with the SKYWARN Newsletter

Archive which includes all of the SKYWARN Newsletters and has now

effectively moved this from the previous RCN web site. To get to

the archive go to http://www.wx1box.org and click on the SKYWARN

Newsletter Archive from the Main Menu.

Patriots Day Major Nor'easter Prompts Longest Consecutive Hour SKYWARN Activation Ever....

The Patriots Day Major Nor'easter Prompts the Longest Consecutive Hour

SKYWARN Activation with a 40-hour activation. The activation was

featured in the ARRL Letter and the ARRL web site which is posted

later in this newsletter. A complete report on this major nor'easter

will follow in a separate email on the wx1box.org web site.

Massachusetts Hurricane Drill Monday June 4th, 2007 from 7-9 PM ET....

MEMA Region Two will be having its region RACES hurricane exercise

on Monday June 4th, 2007 from 7-9 PM. As has been done in past years,

the drill scenario will be taken statewide by broadening the Region

Two scenario and will include the State EOC and other MEMA Regions

participating as RACES. ARES, SKYWARN and MARS partners will also

participate in the exercise. Operations will be active at the NWS

Taunton Forecast office for the exercise.

Region Two will use a special reporting form as they have done in

previous years while the remaining RACES participants along with

ARES, SKYWARN and MARS will use tactical messages, NTS and their

traditional forms of traffic to handle messaging. Scenario details

for RACES Operators in Region Two will be handled through a

briefing at Region Two Headquarters. For the remainder of the

participants and controllers in the state, information will be

provided via the web and email over the next week to week

and a half.

Thanks to all for their support of this exercise!

Hurricane Awareness Tour in North Kingstown, RI on April 30th, 2007 a Huge Success....

The Hurricane Awareness Tour in North Kingstown, RI on April 30th, 2007

was a huge success and a fantastic PR opportunity for Amateur Radio.

Operators served in support of the event as well as with Special

Event stations that made contacts with many other Amateur Operators

via HF, EchoLink/IRLP, WinLink and APRS. Contact was made with WX4NHC,

the Amateur Radio Station at the National Hurricane Center via HF

and EchoLink with National Hurricane Center (NHC) Director

Bill Proenza and Hurricane Specialist Michelle Mainelli,

a Rhode Island native, making contact with WX4NHC.

Meteorologist-In-Charge of NWS Taunton, Bob Thompson and Warning

Coordination Meteorologist Glenn Field-KB1GHX also made contact with

WX4NHC via HF and EchoLink.

On the WX1BOX web site (http://www.wx1box.org), SKYWARN Spotter,

N1EH-Gene Harriman put up several pictures of the plane and the

tent where Amateur Radio Operators were during the event. We have a

large number of pictures as well as audio of the contacts made by

NHC Director Proenza, Hurricane Specialist, Michelle Mainelli,

and those will be posted over the course of the next few weeks.

CQ Magazine will be posting an article on the Hurricane Awareness

Tour for its July edition of its magazine. We are hoping to get a

post done by the ARRL in time for the 2007 Hurricane Season. Below

is the write-up that has been forwarded to both CQ Magazine and the

ARRL:

NWS and NHC Forecasters Talk with Amateurs on the Hurricane Awareness Tour Rhode Island Location

The US East Coast Hurricane Awareness Tour that was ongoing the week

of April 30th through May 4th made its first stop at Quonset State

Airport in North Kingstown, Rhode Island, Amateur Radio Operators

from Rhode Island ARRL/ARES, Rhode Island SKYWARN, Rhode Island

SATERN, the Taunton Area Communications Group and ARES and SKYWARN

members from Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire assisted

with event communications and had a special event station. The

airwaves on HF and EchoLink were greeted with voices from Director

of the National Hurricane Center, Bill Proenza,

Meteorologist-In-Charge of the National Weather Service in

Taunton, Massachusetts, Bob Thompson and Warning Coordination

Meteorologist, KB1GHX-Glenn Field. All three NOAA personnel

talked back to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida

Amateur Radio Station WX4NHC where John McHugh-K4AG, WX4NHC

Coordinator and Julio Ripoll, Assistant WX4NHC Coordinator were

at the mics of the HF and EchoLink stations. The New England

Reflector system was utilized to facilitate communications via

EchoLink and IRLP so that other radio Amateurs could make contact

with the P3 Plane tour site.

“I just want to make sure that the staff there is treating you well”

quipped Bill Proenza, Director of the National Hurricane Center.

“It is good to be able to talk to you, Bill, over Amateur Radio.

We are preparing our radios here for backup communications” said

Julio Ripoll, Assistant WX4NHC Coordinator.

‘We have been here for the last 26 years and were prepared to offer

our support anyway we can once again” said John McHugh,

WX4NHC Coordinator.

Director Proenza gave to Radio Amateurs a brief preview on the

hurricane potential for the 2007 season stating that the potential

is there for an above normal season and that the NOAA outlook for

the season will be available on May 22nd and will have the latest

information factored into the outlook. He also sent a message to

the Amateur community living on the US East Coast on being prepared

regardless of the activity level of the season. Proenza also

extended his appreciation and gratitude to the entire Amateur

Radio community for supporting the operations of the National

Hurricane Center in providing surface reports and being a backup

means for communications when all else fails.

Hurricane Specialist Michelle Mainelli spoke with Julio and John at

the National Hurricane Center. Michelle is a Hurricane Specialist

who is a native Rhode Islander. Michelle also had the opportunity

to speak with Chris Lauer who is on the Computer technical staff

at the National Hurricane Center who asked about the cool

New England temperatures and relayed some of the issues with

fires in Florida.

Glenn Field-KB1GHX spoke with WX4NHC via HF as did Bob Thompson,

Meteorologist-In-Charge of NWS Taunton. Bob Thompson also spoke

with WX4NHC via EchoLink. Julio explained to Bob Thompson how

Amateurs in New England have assisted with the VoIP Hurricane Net

and provided reports in key situations where the reports would

not have been received otherwise. Bob explained to Julio how

NWS Taunton relies heavily on the Amateur Radio SKYWARN Spotters

for New England and described their role in supporting the NWS

office during the mid-April Nor’easter.

RI SATERN sent several emails via WinLink to WX4NHC right from the

site using their WinLink setup. APRS was setup through RI ARES

member, KB1MAO-Jim Creamer. The Taunton Amateur Radio Group had

an additional HF setup making contacts on 20 and 40 Meters.

Rhode Island EMA had their mobile command vehicle on display and

the Salvation Army brought their canteen trailer providing coffee

and hot chocolate during the morning and early afternoon hours of

the event.

A press conference was held Monday Morning in the tent where the

Amateur Radio and served agency booths were setup after a meeting

of EMA Directors at the co-located Air National Guard base where RI

ARRL Section staff, Bob Beaudet-W1YRC, RI ARRL Section Manager,

Sean Brennan-KE1AB, RI ARES Section Emergency Coordinator and Dan

Roy-KA1BNO ARRL Bulletin Manager among other RI ARRL/ARES staff

were in attendance. The press conference featured RI Governor Don

Carcieri and other dignitaries speaking on hurricane preparedness.

School children toured the plane for several hours and then the

public toured the plane from 3-630 PM with major media outlets

in Rhode Island covering the event for the entire day.

National Hurricane Center Announces Hurricane Preparedness Week 5/20-5/26/07....

The National Hurricane Center has announced that Hurricane

Preparedness Week for 2007 will be May 20th-26th. The link below

off the National Hurricane Center Web Site features preparedness

information in support of Hurricane Preparedness Week:

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/intro.shtml

The link has information on Hurricane History, Hurricane Hazards,

Hurricane Forecasting, preparedness and action information. As we

get closer to Hurricane Season, now is the time to learn more about

being prepared in case a hurricane affects your region.

WX4NHC Annual Communications Saturday June 2nd, 2007 9 AM-5 PM ET/1300-2200 UTC....

The following is an announcement on the WX4NHC Annual Communications

Test. It will be Saturday June 2nd, 2007 from 9 AM-5 PM ET

(1300z-2100z). The Coordinators and team that supports Amateur

Radio Operations at WX4NHC will be on various modes including HF

and VoIP. WX4NHC will be on EchoLink *WX-TALK* Node: 7203/IRLP

reflector 9219 on Saturday June 2nd from 1-3 PM ET (1700-1900z)

and VoIP Hurricane Net Controls will be taking lists of up to 10

stations at a time to speak with WX4NHC like what has been done

in past years. Below is the Announcement from WX4NHC as received

from John McHugh-K4AG, WX4NHC Coordinator:

Announcement from WX4NHC

Amateur Radio Station

at the National Hurricane Center

WX4NHC Hurricane Season 2007 On-The-Air Station Test

Saturday, June 2nd, 2007 from 9 AM - 5 PM EST (1300z-2100z)

The purpose of this annual Station Test is to test all of our

radio equipment, computers and antennas using as many modes and

frequencies as possible.

This is not a Contest or simulated Hurricane Exercise. New computers

and software will be tested. Some operator training will also be

conducted.

WX4NHC will be On-The-Air on HF, VHF, UHF and 2 & 30 meter APRS.

We plan on testing on the following voice frequencies +/- QRM

3.950 MHz, 7.268MHz, 14.325MHz, 21.325MHz, 28.525MHz.

Need to find us on HF, try using one of the DX Spotting Networks,

Such as the DX Summit Web Site:

http://oh2aq.kolumbus.com/dxs/

Select "DX-Spots" 50, 250 or 1,000 or select "Spot Database Search"

and enter WX4NHC.

We will also be on VoIP Hurricane Net 1pm-3pm EDT (1700z-1900z)

(IRLP node 9219 / EchoLink WX-TALK Conference). http://www.voipwx.net/

South Florida area VHF & UHF Repeaters & simplex.

Report your Call sign, Signal Report, Location and Name.

Short Weather Report ("Sunny", or "Rain", etc.)

Non-Hams are invited to submit their actual weather using the On-Line

Hurricane Report Form at

http://www.wx4nhc.org/WX-form1.html

QSL Cards are available via WD4R. Please S.A.S.E.

(Please do not send QSLs directly to the Hurricane Center address.)

Due to security measures, NO VISITORS will be allowed at NHC during

this test.

Thank you for your participation in this Station TEST.

WX4NHC Amateur Radio Station

At the National Hurricane Center

http://www.wx4nhc.org

--

John Mc Hugh, K4AG

Coordinator for Amateur Radio

National Hurricane Center, WX4NHC

Home page:- http://www.wx4nhc.org

ARRL Letter Article: Northeast Amateur Radio Volunteers Aid Massive Storm Response, Recovery....

==>NORTHEAST AMATEUR RADIO VOLUNTEERS AID MASSIVE STORM RESPONSE, RECOVERY

Amateur Radio volunteers have been helping the US Northeast to recover from

the effects of a huge and punishing nor'easter that generated high winds and

caused extensive flooding in many communities -- rural, urban and coastal.

While sunny weather has returned to the region, some ARES volunteers remain

active.

"This was a long-duration event that impacted the region for several days,"

said ARRL Eastern Massachusetts Section Emergency Coordinator Rob Macedo,

KD1CY, who's also ARES SKYWARN coordinator for the Taunton National Weather

Service office.

New Hampshire Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) and Eastern Rockingham

County ARES have been backing up landline telephone service, including 911,

between Nottingham and the New Hampshire Bureau of Emergency Management.

Service was knocked out by flooding at a switching station. Operations could

last for several days. Even cell service is affected.

The mountains of northern New England received snow, some of which melted,

while most of the rest of the region saw heavy rainfall -- three to six

inches on the average with isolated higher amounts in southern and central

New England. The result was significant flooding of rivers, streams and

urban areas, coupled with mudslides and bridge and road washouts.

Amateur Radio ARES, RACES, SKYWARN and Military Affiliate Radio System

(MARS) volunteers monitored river levels for authorities. The Nashua,

Farmington, Connecticut, Blackstone, Pawtuxet, Piscataquog, Shawsheen,

Souhegan and Merrimack rivers were among those overspilling their banks.

Homes and businesses had to be evacuated in some communities. Flooding of

smaller rivers and streams added to the problem. Along the coast, Amateur

Radio volunteers reported widespread minor to moderate flooding across

coastal eastern Massachusetts Sunday through Wednesday.

In Nantucket, the ocean claimed one home during high tide, while numerous

cars got stuck in coastal flooding, and motorists had to be rescued. A few

families had to evacuate during high water.

Winds gusting between 60 and 75 MPH brought down trees and power lines,

leaving some 45,000 customers without power in Massachusetts alone. Trees

and tree limbs also fell on cars and houses, in some instances causing

significant damage.

Macedo reports SKYWARN operations at the Taunton NWS office's WX1BOX, were

active for 40 hours straight -- from 8 AM Sunday through midnight Tuesday.

SKYWARN provided some 500 to 600 reports of snowfall, rainfall, flooding,

wind damage and wind-speed measurements. More than a dozen repeaters served

formal and informal SKYWARN gatherings.

At the Massachusetts State EOC, RACES' WC1MA was active from 6 PM Sunday

through 7 PM Monday, monitoring not only the storm but the Boston Marathon.

The race went on despite the rough weather. Conditions improved by

afternoon. More than 200 Amateur Radio volunteers deployed for the Boston

Marathon while operations for the nor'easter were under way. Eastern

Massachusetts ARES went on standby to support storm operations.

"This was a test of our ability to have a large amount of resources deployed

for the large storm as well as for a large event, and things went very

well." Macedo said.

Western Massachusetts SEC John Ruggiero, N2YHK, reported some localized ARES

activity as a result of the nor'easter. Mutual-aid ARES teams in Western

Mass were on alert but not activated.

Shelters opened in Greenfield and Leominster to house flood victims, and ham

radio volunteers were on hand to support communication. The Greenfield EOC

was open for a time. In Northampton flooding caused some apartment dwellers

to evacuate. Some roadways throughout the region were washed out or flooded

over.

In Connecticut, ARES went on alert to support the American Red Cross and the

Department of Emergency Services and Homeland Security. A SKYWARN net fired

up to gather reports of flooding, high water levels, power outages and

rainfall totals, reported Hartford-Tolland Counties SKYWARN Coordinator

Roger Jeanfaivre, K1PAI.

Connecticut SEC Brian Fernandez, K1BRF, said ARES volunteers staffed

emergency management facilities in two of the state's five regions, "largely

along the shoreline where there has been flooding in low-lying areas." Some

evacuations occurred. ARES volunteers also staffed selected EOCs and,

briefly, shelters in affected areas. The Connecticut River reportedly

crested on Wednesday.

In Northern New Jersey, DEC George Sabbi, KC2GLG, in Bergen County reports

that Bergen Amateur Radio Association volunteers supported communication for

a Red Cross shelter in Lodi, which housed some five dozen clients. At one

point, the shelter lost its telephone service and power was out. Radio

amateurs on site used handhelds to facilitate communication until backup

power arrived. SKYWARN volunteers also provided weather observations, as

more than seven inches of rain caused the closing of many roads throughout

the county.

New York City-Long Island SEC Mike Lisenco, N2YBB, said all ARES members

through the section were put on standby Saturday in anticipation of the

storm, due to hit around midnight. In New York City, the Red Cross called

upon DEC John Healy, KA2ABV, to staff up to nine shelters. The Salvation

Army also asked ARES to remain ready. A staff of 30 ARES volunteers was

assembled for the first 24-hour period, "with more to come if needed," Healy

said.

More than eight inches of rain caused scattered flooding in New York City,

but predicted 50 MPH winds never materialized. The danger was over by the

next day, and New York City District ARES was able to stand down and secure.

ARES teams on Long Island also were prepared in advance on April 14. Most of

Long Island was spared the brunt of the storm, however.

ARRL Letter Article: Amateur Radio Participates in 2007 National Hurricane Conference....

==>AMATEUR RADIO PARTICIPATES IN 2007 NATIONAL HURRICANE CONFERENCE

Amateur Radio had a seat at the table during the 29th National Hurricane

Conference, April 2-6 in New Orleans. The annual gathering, which serves as

"the nation's forum for education and professional training in hurricane

preparedness," featured Amateur Radio's role in severe weather situations.

More than 2500 government, industry, military, and volunteers attended this

year's gathering. The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN), WX4NHC -- the Amateur Radio

station at the National Hurricane Center -- and ARRL collaborated to present

a training session at the conference on April 3.

"This gave Amateur Radio operators and several representatives of the ARRL

Field Organization leadership a chance to discuss their experiences and

lessons learned during recent hurricane seasons -- especially Hurricanes

Katrina and Rita that affected so much of the Gulf Coast in 2005," said ARRL

HQ's Field Organization Team Leader Steve Ewald, WV1X, who moderated the

forum.

Among the presenters was Alabama Section Manager Greg Sarratt, W4OZK.

"The Amateur Radio presentations were very successful. Amateurs from several

different areas of disaster experience spoke about what Amateur Radio

experienced and has done to be better prepared for the next large disaster,"

Sarratt observed. "Attendees listened intently and posed very good

questions." He said attendees reviewed ARRL enhancements and the work and

recommendations of the National Emergency Response Planning Committee

(NERPC).

New Orleans ARRL Emergency Coordinator Joel Colman, NO5FD, explained how

their experiences during and after Hurricane Katrina have led to an even

better working relationship with the Orleans Parish Fire Department. Amateur

Radio operators are now setting up a ham radio station at the fire

department's communications facility, and they are offering Amateur Radio

license classes for 911 operators and others.

In other presentations:

* Cedric Walker, K5CFW, an ARRL Technical Specialist from New Orleans and

active ARES member, discussed the close relationship that has developed

between Amateur Radio operators with their communication skills and Flotilla

45 of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary.

* Tom Hammack, W4WLF, a District Emergency Coordinator from Gulfport,

presented his first-hand perspective of Amateur Radio emergency support

during and after Hurricane Katrina along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

* Gary Stratton, K5GLS, ARRL Louisiana Section Emergency Coordinator,

recounted the stories of those many days and weeks after Hurricanes Katrina

and Rita and how they have led to several lessons learned with regard to

message handling, served agency relationships, and contact with other

sections for mutual assistance.

Sarratt assessed the 2007 National Hurricane Conference as a very

informative event. "This conference is a must-attend event for all EmComm

leadership!" he said.

ARRL Letter In-Brief Article: Texas Radio Amateur Among 2007 National Environmental Heroes....

* Texas radio amateur is among 2007 NOAA Environmental Heroes: Charlie

Campbell, KC5EZZ, of San Angelo, Texas, was among ten 2007 National Oceanic

and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Environmental Heroes. NOAA says

Campbell organized a repeater network to transmit "timely severe weather

reports from NOAA National Weather Service SKYWARN-trained storm spotters to

cover longer distances without degradation." The annual Environmental Hero

awards commemorate Earth Day by recognizing individuals and organizations

that volunteer their time to help NOAA carry out its mission. Meteorologists

at the San Angelo National Weather Service office nominated Campbell for the

national award, presented April 20 in Washington, DC. NWS Warning and

Coordination Meteorologist Hector Guerrero, KC5BRB, also organized a

gathering in San Angelo to recognize Campbell.

NEWINGTON, CT, May 7, 2007 – A tornado with a magnitude of EF5 swept

through southwestern Kansas this past weekend, almost completely

wiping out the town of Greensburg. The town, population 1500, lost

its hospital, schools, churches and all of its business and

infrastructure, according to Greensburg Town Administrator

Steve Hewitt. Hewitt lost his home in the storm. A National Weather

Service meteorologist called the tornado “…one of the most

destructive tornadoes in the last 10 years.”

EF5 is the highest level of a tornado on the Enhanced Fujita Scale,

a classification system used by the National Weather Service.

An EF5 tornado has wind speeds over 200 MPH. The Enhanced F-scale

is a set of wind estimates (not measurements) based on damage.

The tornado’s damage path at its widest point was about 1.7 miles,

and it tracked for 22 miles, moving at an average speed of

about 20 MPH; it took about 15 to 20 minutes to wipe out the

town, according to a National Weather Service meteorologist.

A team of hams entered the area on Saturday morning and began

setting up communications, according to District 6 Emergency

Coordinator Godfrey Flax, KC0AUH. District 5 Emergency Coordinator

Robert Hanke, WG0Q, activated ARES in Pratt, Stafford, Reno and

Barton Counties over the weekend. There are now hams in both

Greensburg and Haviland, and Net Control operations have been

established in Pratt.

A team consisting of three different Colorado ARES groups is en

route to the Greensburg area to support with operations there.

They will also be assisting the Salvation Army in their work.

One of the members, Ted Allison, N0NKG, is from Greensburg

originally and still has relatives living there. This group of

five amateurs will stay in the area through Sunday, May 20.

According to ARRL Kansas Section Manager Ron Cowan, KB0DTI,

there are repeaters on the air, but they are some distance from

the affected area. He and other hams were monitoring 3.920 MHz

early Saturday morning in case there was radio activity.

The Salvation Army is conducting logistics nets at 9 AM, 3 PM

and 9 PM each day on 3.920 MHz, and HF and 2 meter operations

have been established in Haviland. Kansas and Western Missouri

SATERN Coordinator June Jeffers, KB0WEQ, says SATERN members

will be utilized in Kiowa County to support Salvation Army

canteens and the Service Center in Haviland.

“Virtually the entire city has been destroyed,” said Maj Gen

Tod Bunting of the Kansas National Guard on Monday. “It’s as bad

as anything I've seen.” He said in some ways the damage is worse

than Hurricane Katrina, because the entire city of Greensburg is

in ruins. “There’s no place to go to stage to rebuild,” said

Bunting, a nearly 30-year veteran of the Guard. “We’ll have to

create that.”

Twelve people were killed in the twister, 10 from Greensburg.

The town is located at the junction of Routes 54 and 183, about

45 miles east of Dodge City. It is the county seat for Kiowa County.

An 11th person died in nearby Pratt County and a 12th in a separate

tornado in Ottawa County.

The Red Cross said about 90 percent of Greensburg was destroyed or

heavily damaged. The storm stripped trees of most of their branches

and destroyed all the town’s churches, the Associated Press reported.

Gov Kathleen Sebelius told the AP on Sunday that Kansas’ response to

the disaster will likely be hindered because equipment such as tents,

trucks and semitrailers are now in Iraq, saying Kansas lacks about

half the large equipment it could use for recovery efforts and debris

removal, including dump trucks and front loaders. More than 20 percent

of the state’s Humvees and 15 of 19 helicopters were sent to Iraq,

according to officials with the Kansas National Guard. Nearly 70

Kansas National Guard troops arrived in Greensburg on Monday to

supplement about 40 troops already on the ground.

The entire town was evacuated Friday night. More than 400

people are in shelters in the town of Haviland, about 11 miles

east of the devastated town, and Pratt, about 31 miles east. The

Salvation Army dispatched canteen units from Dodge City and

Hutchinson, about 87 miles east of Greensburg. A shelter was

also opened in Mullinville at the high school gym, about 10 miles

west of Greensburg. On Sunday night, the Red Cross requested

operators to provide communications between the hospital in Pratt

and the shelter in Haviland.

Greensburg residents were expected to be allowed to return to what’s

remaining of their homes Monday morning, according to The Associated

Press. Searchers spent the weekend sifting through the debris and

are still hoping to account for residents who fled as the storm

approached.

“Some of this rubble is 20, 30 feet deep and that’s always a

challenge, Bunting said Monday. “That's where we’ve spent all our

efforts, and we’ll do it again today.”

Hewitt said it’s “hard to tell” if anyone is trapped in the rubble,

but “it's a possibility. The search and rescue continues and it

will continue until ... we find everything and have everything

organized. We need to make sure we’ve found everybody and everybody

is safe and accounted for.”

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is on site with two

mini Emergency Operations Vehicles (EOV), and two mobile Disaster

Recovery Centers (DRC) with satellite communications. They are

currently considering staging areas for travel trailers and mobile

homes. In anticipation of state requests, water, MREs, and tarps

are waiting in Pratt.

President Bush declared Kiowa County, Kansas, a major disaster

area, making federal aid available to people and communities

affected by the storm. “Our hearts are heavy for the loss of life

in Greensburg, Kansas,” Bush said Sunday. “I declared a major

disaster for that community, and I hope that helps. It’s going to

take a long time for the community to recover.”

Some information from www.cnn.com and the FEMA National Response

Coordination Center (NRCC).

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)

ARES SKYWARN Coordinator

Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section 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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