HURRICANE ALERT

Let's set a scenario that will happen, eventually, maybe next week may be next year but whenever, it will occur.

Bradenton will be the locus of a hurricane, maybe a small one but it could be big. No matter when or how large it will be bad. Let try to imagine it and see what we will do.

Let's be the average ham, Bill. Not a joiner, not a club member, never been in ARES OR RACES, just a busy ham with a family, home and a job that takes lots of time.

Here comes a hurricane. It is reported in the gulf, and it is headed for the Tampa Bay area. Bill has 12 hours of prepare.

After getting the house prepared and the family ready or as ready as he can. He starts to think about being a ham and his responsibilities in a major disaster. He turns on that hand held that is in his home office and starts to charge up the batteries. He finds the portable antenna he put together so many years ago. He finds the list of frequencies and the operating manual for the radio. The local repeater is programed into the memory, and he turns it on for the first time in 3 years. After listening for a few minutes he puts out his call sign. Almost immediately he hears the repeater ID and announces that the repeater is closed to regular traffic and that announcements will be made at the hour or as conditions demand.

On the hour Emergency net control comes on and gives the latest information on the storm and what shelters are open and what manpower is needed. After the announcements net control asks that listening hams respond if they can help out. After that net controls asks for everyone to check in by call sign using regular phonics. Our friend struggles to remember what Q is in regular phonics. Is it queen or Quebec?

Bill decides he will listen and write it down when he hears a check in with a Q so me won't forget again. When everyone seems to have checked in, he puts out his call sign reading from his crib sheet, Kilo Alpha 4 Tango Quebec. That made it easier. Net control comes back to him and asks for his name. Net control repeats the announcements and reminds everyone that the repeater is closed and that the will be back on the air in one hour and to listen for updates.

Our friend and his family ride out the storm. The hand held continues to give reports on the repeater output simplex frequency. The repeater antenna is down and the power is off. Damage, and flooding is extensive in the area.

The storm is over and Bill is starting to get back to normal. Net control is calling for check in and damage reports. Bill can check in with his emergency indoor antenna and can report on his neighborhood. Many trees are down blocking the roads and some high water in his neighborhood.

When the rain stops Bill goes out and surveys the surrounding area. One neighbor down the street is trying to use a cell phone. No response from the cell phone; the cell phone towers are down. His neighbor has an elderly parent living with them. She is dehydrated and needed assistance. Bill goes home and puts in a call to net control requesting help for his neighbor. He is directed to a simplex frequency to call for this help and told that if he cannot get through to call back of the repeater frequency. The repeater is now up on emergency power and a portable tower.

On the hour net control come on and after announcement asks whether anyone could cover the frequency for the next two hours. Bill jumps in and says he can and will be glad to.

After two hours of off and on communication his batteries are almost done. What to do. . Well, move to the garage, just as hot there as in the house and hook the handheld to the car battery through the cigarette lighter of the old second car. He won't be going anywhere for a while.

Couple of other things to keep in mind:

A RACES repeater may be closed to everyone except

Races members.

ARES/RACES are together in this area.

Protect your equipment with large clear plastic bags:

Hand held, batteries, tools for repair, flashlights, books,

papers, and medications.

Please remember that Mr. Murphy will have a field day with a hurricane, What can go wrong will go wrong.

A final thought, Protect the family first-- before the storm, during the storm and during the clean up phase, they need you more than ham radio does.