[digitalradio] AMATEUR RADIO GETS FAVORABLE MENTIONS IN FEDERAL KATRINA REPORTS

[Dr. Howard S. White]

AMATEUR RADIO GETS FAVORABLE MENTIONS IN FEDERAL KATRINA REPORTS Ham radio received positive mentions in post-Katrina reports from the US House of Representatives and the White House. References to the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES), the Military Affiliate Radio System (MARS) and the HF digital e-mail system Winlink 2000 appear in "A Failure of Initiative"--the final report of the Select Bipartisan Committee to investigate the preparation for and response to Hurricane Katrina (see <http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2006/02/17/2/>). "Like all levels of government," noted the 364-page report released February 15, "the National Communication System (NCS) "was not able to address all aspects of the damage to the communications infrastructure of the Gulf States." MARS was cited for its role as part of the Shared Resources High Frequency Radio Program (SHARES), a federal emergency communication system. The report says that "within days" of Katrina's landfall, NCS called upon more than 430 SHARES stations across the US to, among other things, assist first responders conducting search-and-rescue missions by relaying information to government agencies, by relaying logistical and operational information among FEMA EOCs in Georgia, Mississippi and Louisiana, and by handling health-and-welfare messages between volunteer agencies in Georgia and the American Red Cross national headquarters. "Additionally, the NCS coordinated the frequencies used by the nearly 1000 Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) volunteers across the nation who served in the Katrina stricken area providing communications for government agencies, the Red Cross and The Salvation Army," the report continued. "Emergency communications were conducted not only by voice, but also by high-speed data transmissions using state-of-the art digital communications software known as Winlink." The report further noted, "In Mississippi, FEMA dispatched Amateur Radio operators to hospitals, evacuation centers, and county EOCs to send emergency messaging 24 hours per day. Cited were comments by Bay St Louis Mayor Eddie Favre that Amateur Radio volunteers "were especially helpful in maintaining situational awareness and relaying Red Cross messages to and from the Hancock County EOC." According to the report, radio amateurs at airports in Texas and Louisiana "tracked evacuees and notified families of their whereabouts," while the Red Cross "deployed Amateur Radio volunteers at its 250 shelters and feeding stations, principally in Mississippi, Alabama and Florida." The Salvation Army, the report pointed out, operates its own system of Amateur Radio volunteers known as SATERN (Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network). "During the Hurricane Katrina response and recovery effort, SATERN joined forces with the SHARES program and received over 48,000 requests for emergency communications assistance utilizing federal frequencies made available via the SHARES program," the report noted. "A Failure of Initiative" asserted that the loss of power and the failure at various levels of government "to adequately prepare for the ensuing and inevitable loss of communications" hindered the hurricane response "by compromising situational awareness and command and control operations." "Despite the devastation left by Katrina, this needn't have been the case," the report stressed. "Catastrophic disasters may have some unpredictable consequences, but losing power and the dependent communications systems after a hurricane should not be one of them." The White House report, "The Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina: Lessons Learned" <http://www.whitehouse.gov/reports/katrina-lessons-learned.pdf> released February 22 also cast Amateur Radio in a favorable light--in its Appendix B, "What Went Right." "Amateur Radio Operators from both the Amateur Radio Emergency Service and the American Radio Relay League monitored distress calls and rerouted emergency requests for assistance throughout the US until messages were received by emergency response personnel," the report said. "A distress call made from a cell phone on a rooftop in New Orleans to Baton Rouge was relayed, via ham radio, from Louisiana to Oregon, then Utah, and finally back to emergency personnel in Louisiana, who rescued the 15 stranded victims." The report also points out that Amateur Radio volunteers were on duty at the National Hurricane Center, the Hurricane Watch Net, Waterway Net, SKYWARN and the Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN). The report's Appendix B cites specific reports in the general news media about Amateur Radio activities following Hurricane Katrina and points to several news stories that appeared on the ARRL Web site. Need a Digital mode QSO? Connect to  Telnet://cluster.dynalias.org Other areas of interest: The MixW Reflector : http://groups.yahoo.com/group/themixwgroup/ DigiPol: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Digipol  (band plan policy discussion) SPONSORED LINKS Ham radio Craft hobby Hobby and craft supply YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS  Visit your group "digitalradio" on the web.    To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:  [EMAIL PROTECTED]    Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.