2010 National Hurricane Conference
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Several members of Duval ARES and the Red Cross attended in the Amateur Radio session of this year's National Hurricane Conference at the Orlando Hilton. The session was titled "Disaster Communications Before, During, and After Hurricanes." The speakers included John McHugh, K4AG, and Julio Ripoll, WD4R, from the National Hurricane Center, Robert Macedo, KD1CY, representing the VoIP Hurricane Net, and Greg Sarratt, W4OZK, the ARRL Southeast Division Director.
The radio station at the National Hurricane Center operates as WX4NHC. You can find the Hurricane Watch Net on 14.325. Provided below are the purpose and goals of the station.
- Provide surface reports to forecasters.
- Provide backup communications for the Miami area.
- Pass hurricane advisories to the general public.
- Enhance accuracy of severe weather reports.There are several weather initiatives at WX4NHC where you may be able to help. They currently estimate over 100,000 weather stations throughout the US. We can use technologies like APRS and programs such as the Citizen Weather Observer Program to help increase the accuracy of the information available to forecasters by sharing real-time data from local weather stations.
In addition to the on-air efforts of WX4NHC, the VoIP Hurricane Net plays a vital role in hurricane-related communications. Using a hybrid system that links both Echolink and IRLP nodes this network is able to fill the gaps when HF propagation is sketchy. It provides an alternative means of communications to ensure that critical information is relayed to the National Hurrican Center in a timely fashion. This net meets monthly on the first Sat of the month during non-hurricane months and weekly during hurricane season. You can find it on the WX-TALK conference (Echolink node 7203) and IRLP reflector 9219. Take a moment to visit their website for some interesting hurricane and other related information.
In addition to the role Amateur Radio plays in severe weather events, Julio provided a report on activities with the recent Haiti earthquake. The University of Miami Hospital has been the primary caregiver during this event and had two VSAT satellite systems. Both systems failed and landlines were unavailable leaving people unable to communicate. Amateur Radio operators stepped in and provided critical communications including modding a VHF radio on the spot to communicate with the USS Comfort out of band on Marine Ch 16. Through the use of VHF radios the operators were able to get critical patients evacuated to the Comfort as well as coordinate the landing of aircraft carrying relief supplies.
The operators in Haiti made use of HF, VHF, Winlink, and even remote control to provide full coverage communications. Julio even shared a story of a nurse telling the radio operators that the battery in the baby heart stimulator had died. The hams stepped up and sacrificed their own batteries to get this vital and life-saving equipment operational. It demonstrates that in times like these we often do more than communicate. We make a real difference.
Finally, Greg Sarratt addressed the group and stressed three primary areas: relationships, training, and practice. We need to foster relationships with our served agencies before disaster strikes. Fortunately in Duval County we have very good working relationships with our main agencies and its a testament to the professionalism of our members. From a training perspective we want to focus on multi-dimensional training. We need to look beyond the ARRL and FEMA training courses and expand our horizons to include other areas. Imagine the additional value we could provide with some basic electronics training. When everything around you has been blown away it's too late to learn how to replace a blown transistor in your radio to get it back on the air. Hopefully following training comes practice. We all get rusty if we don't keep our skills fresh. This is why we encourage your participation in the various special events and drills throughout the year. Now is the time to be learning your equipment and getting familiar with net procedures so you know what to do when you need it the most.
Session Links & Info
VoIP Hurricane Net Presentation
Hurricane Watch Net
WX4NHC Station Info
VoIP Hurricane Net
Citizen Weather Observer Program
Caribbean Hurricane Network
Hurricane for iPhone
Front: John Reynolds (W4IJJ), Miller Norton (W4EMN), Gregg Sarratt (W4OZK), Paul Eakin (KJ4G)
Back: Matt Tuten (W4TEA), Cary Beuershausen (N4CDB), Rusty Russ (W4WCR), Doug Carter (N4FPS)
