ARRLWeb: Florida Amateur Radio Volunteers Answer the Call

ARRLWeb: Florida Amateur Radio Volunteers Answer the Call

"Florida Amateur Radio Volunteers Answer the Call

NEWINGTON, CT, Oct 26, 2005--

Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) and Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) volunteers from all three Florida ARRL sections have answered the call to provide communication support in the wake of Hurricane Wilma. Millions of residents there are reported without power, and relief agencies still are attempting to meet basic needs. Ham radio volunteers are out in force to assist them.

'Amateurs are providing vital tactical communications for the Red Cross and their shelters, special care facilities, county EOCs (emergency operations centers), state logistical staging areas (LSA), and points of distribution (PODs) for food, ice and water,' said ARRL Southern Florida Section Emergency Communications Coordinator Jeff Beals, WA4AW. He's been coordinating the deployment of Amateur Radio volunteers in his section with assistance from ARRL West Central Florida SEC Neil Lauritsen, W4NHL, and ARRL Northern Florida SEC Joe Bushel, W2DWR.
More than 30 shelters have been opened in several counties, including Hardee, Collier, Broward and Palm Beach. They're providing refuge for upward of 4000 storm evacuees. "


73 fer nw,
Bob N5IET

10X# 37210, FP#-1141, SMIRK#-5177
http://www.n5iet.com/
Code may be taking a back seat for now,
but the pioneering spirit that put the code
there in the first place is out front of it all.