Anybody monitoring ham networks passing health and welfare messages out of areas clobbered by Helene?

[KB2GOM]

Got this:

"

"Ham Radio to the Rescue​

I’ve heard it all my life: when all else fails, ham radio still works. And let me tell you, it’s true.

Throughout the storm, our normally quiet repeater systems were buzzing with activity. The traffic became very organized, with hourly nets helping pass messages to family and friends, sharing detailed on-the-ground reports, and identifying areas where help was needed. Even though our emergency services are overwhelmed, we’re able to connect with them via amateur radio networks like ARES.

Right now, being a ham feels like a superpower. For many people, it’s the only form of communication that still works."

from here: Aftermath…

 

[trentbob]

Got this:

"

"Ham Radio to the Rescue​

For many people, it’s the only form of communication that still works."

from here: Aftermath…

Especially simplex, I imagine many repeaters were down. Quite a delay of information from the bend. Best reports were drones flown in. No people seen whatsoever in drone video. Anyone who did stay it took a while to find the bodies if they ever do at all.

For a lot of ham operators it took a little bit to get up and running.

 

[trentbob]

Sniffed around a little bit, depends on the geographical area that you're talking about, there was huge destruction a little south of Tampa on Anna Maria Island who wasn't even in the path of the storm per se but received a 10 ft plus surge, as I say, not the Panhandle itself which of course did receive a tremendous amount of damage but the actual Bend, communities that have been, there since the 1800s with multiple hurricanes are.. gone.

I can imagine what handheld simplex communication there was ongoing between multiple friends between multiple clubs and repeaters. Everybody talks on all the repeaters and knows who each there is. Simplex is always good because you're going to talk to somebody close and don't need to depend on anything but.. enough battery power.

To those groups who we all know who are prepared all the time with backup and the best possible maintenance, secondary to their weekly nets, I'm sure were very helpful, going up the Southwestern Coast into Virginia we are talking devastating, record-breaking, impact.

Good thread Jock.

 

[freqhopping]

W4HTP 145.350 Repeater Live Audio Feed

W4HTP 145.350 Repeater Live Audio Feed on Broadcastify.com

m.broadcastify.com

Temporary feed for N2GE 145.190 Mhz, Mt. Mitchell repeater for amateur radio hurricane emergency services.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

I hope rescuers are monitoring FRS, GMRS and CB channels as chances are stranded families still have access to those.

 

[Aceman1126]

Up here in Johnson city, TN ive been on the radio since Saturday monitoring and helping relay welfare calls/texts. Thankfully jc was spared but just down the road are unicoi, erwin, and Elizabethton which have been extremely hard hit. Asheville was also hit extremely hard and was about 40 mins away... now it's hours away.

It's been exhausting but I'm happy to help. I've been laughed at and looked at with contempt for my radios and equipment. Been treated like a goofball at best and paranoid at worst but everyone understands now that's for sure. Radio has saved a LOT of lives here.

 

[sloop]

KM2GOM, I agree with you, 'When all else FAILS, amateur radio' and its a shame that the ARRL no longer believes this. There are times when when there's a "Perfect Storm" and the only communications' possible is through amateur radio for at least the first three days (sometimes more if you are waiting for the government) until private/volunteer organizations (some of which use amateur radio) arrive. The mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee are perfect examples of neighbor helping neighbor with amateur radio.

 

[N1XDS]

If everything else fails when sending very emergency like messages, text messages, voice memos or whatever to the search party for the person, persons or family who is needed to be contacted and can't be found you gotta do what you gotta do to get the message across to the party.

Back in 2005 when Katrina slammed in to Biloxi a week after I went on a ride with my father and mother thru the aftermath where all the big ocean view homes sat across the street from the ocean all fallen apart, trash everywhere, boats everywhere, the ocean has to be closed down for awhile due to all the slot machines were floating in the water, signs of family members messages about their deceased family members for everyone to see when driving by it was really sad seeing these signs and what they said when I was reading them. One of the signs said...Here likes my fathers only home he ever loved and wanted to lived but now he's gone buried away in this rummel of mess I miss you dad rest on.

I spoke to the EMA director for that area at the time when we pulled over next to him he spoke for awhile and he said this was one of the hardest, saddest emotional times he has gone thru and same with the family members to go through. He stated it felt like a bomb went off and everything went with it. He just broke down and cry when he asked for a minute to walk away you could tell he was hurting not knowing how much pain, emotion he was going thru in that current period of time when he was going thru the destruction zone or heavy impact as I call it.

Most of the driving areas was blocked off to heavy debris in most of the areas that leads to the houses on the side roads. There was a lot of debri in the trees, shattered glass all over the road by the houses, roofs torn off it all these high end custom mansions that was stood tall by and nothing was left but debri.

I use to visit Biloxi as a child to my teens and adult age when my mother and father wanted to go the casinos and to have fun and eat crab legs at Grand Casino and Boomtown (those crab legs were amazing).

When Helene came thru the middle Georgia where I live all we had was heavy wind and heavy rain but no damage lucky enough. I spoke to my uncle that lives in Lake City, Florida he said him and his wife had a lot of trees fall next to their house and it was a lot to clean up he said.

For everyone who is going thru a hard time with post Helene I wish you all best wishes and prayers on recovery. For everyone who lost a a family member or members or friends I send my mother and I condolences.

- Jamie

 

[KB2GOM]

If everything else fails when sending very emergency like messages, text messages, voice memos or whatever to the search party for the person, persons or family who is needed to be contacted and can't be found you gotta do what you gotta do to get the message across to the party.

Back in 2005 when Katrina slammed in to Biloxi a week after I went on a ride with my father and mother thru the aftermath where all the big ocean view homes sat across the street from the ocean all fallen apart, trash everywhere, boats everywhere, the ocean has to be closed down for awhile due to all the slot machines were floating in the water, signs of family members messages about their deceased family members for everyone to see when driving by it was really sad seeing these signs and what they said when I was reading them. One of the signs said...Here likes my fathers only home he ever loved and wanted to lived but now he's gone buried away in this rummel of mess I miss you dad rest on.

I spoke to the EMA director for that area at the time when we pulled over next to him he spoke for awhile and he said this was one of the hardest, saddest emotional times he has gone thru and same with the family members to go through. He stated it felt like a bomb went off and everything went with it. He just broke down and cry when he asked for a minute to walk away you could tell he was hurting not knowing how much pain, emotion he was going thru in that current period of time when he was going thru the destruction zone or heavy impact as I call it.

Most of the driving areas was blocked off to heavy debris in most of the areas that leads to the houses on the side roads. There was a lot of debri in the trees, shattered glass all over the road by the houses, roofs torn off it all these high end custom mansions that was stood tall by and nothing was left but debri.

I use to visit Biloxi as a child to my teens and adult age when my mother and father wanted to go the casinos and to have fun and eat crab legs at Grand Casino and Boomtown (those crab legs were amazing).

When Helene came thru the middle Georgia where I live all we had was heavy wind and heavy rain but no damage lucky enough. I spoke to my uncle that lives in Lake City, Florida he said him and his wife had a lot of trees fall next to their house and it was a lot to clean up he said.

For everyone who is going thru a hard time with post Helene I wish you all best wishes and prayers on recovery. For everyone who lost a a family member or members or friends I send my mother and I condolences.

- Jamie

I interviewed a gentleman who survived 3 weeks on the Mississippi coast without electricity after Katrina. It inspired him to become a ham. Here's some of the stuff he learned: The fertilizer hits the fan radio kit

 

[N1XDS]

I interviewed a gentleman who survived 3 weeks on the Mississippi coast without electricity after Katrina. It inspired him to become a ham. Here's some of the stuff he learned: The fertilizer hits the fan radio kit

Am glad the nice gentleman survived 3 weeks on the Mississippi coast hope he's doing okay now. Any person who goes thru a tragic event like Katrina or others is a total heartbreak dealing with heartbreak, aftermath cleanups and going thru what needs to be kept and thrown away. When I went thru Biloxi it was something that reminded me of my father when he went thru an EF-5 when he was younger it scared him a lot.

 

[mitbr]

I thought I would mention here in Pinellas county 100s of thousands of peoples homes were flooded its just awful... I was fortunate on high ground here.
Tim

 

[Spankymedic7]

I thought I would mention here in Pinellas county 100s of thousands of peoples homes were flooded its just awful... I was fortunate on high ground here.
Tim

Hey Tim, where are some of the hardest hit parts of Pinellas Co? My wife and I lived there for several years in Largo.

 

[mitbr]

Hi Cory... all the beaches with homes that were not elevated.
Snell isle, Gulfport even coastal areas west of alt 19 in Dunedin
Tarpon Springs, Clearwater Beach.Its really bad. People lost everything some homes have become uninhabitable. The main media has been ignoring it and talking about Davis Island, and Clearwater Beach.
Tim

 

[trentbob]

I for one am very impressed with the way ham radio has been used in this epic, record-breaking disaster combined with the advanced Internet offered and used.

It must be such a relief to family members who haven't heard from their kin in days to find out that they are alive and in some kind of protective environment.

It's interesting to see how many people who have lost everything, that won't be replaced, set their priorities to just.. stil being alive after brushing up so close to death.

Kudos to the tireless work of him operators notifying, one way or another, family members that their loved ones are safe and alive.

 

[Spankymedic7]

Hi Cory... all the beaches with homes that were not elevated.
Snell isle, Gulfport even coastal areas west of alt 19 in Dunedin
Tarpon Springs, Clearwater Beach.Its really bad. People lost everything some homes have become uninhabitable. The main media has been ignoring it and talking about Davis Island, and Clearwater Beach.
Tim

Thanks for the reply Tim. Unbelievable...those are areas that my wife and I are very familiar with. I served as a Paramedic in Pinellas County, which took me all over the county. It's incredible that the county that we lived in and loved is now decimated...and who knows what Milton will bring.

Keeping you and yours in my thoughts and prayers. Stay safe Tim.

 

[krokus]

It is interesting reading this thread, and seeing various reports of ham radio efforts in the areas affected by the recent hurricanes. The recent thread about how much ham radio can be affective in emergency situations was reasonably close. It took a major event, that wiped out the infrastructure. The current communications infrastructure, in most places, is more robust, and quickly able to be (at least partly) restored.

 

[KB2GOM]

The current communications infrastructure, in most places, is more robust, and quickly able to be (at least partly) restored.

Agreed, but when the fertilizer hits the fan . . .

I think this was a shining moment for ham radio and for all the hams who stood up and met the need.

 

[Echo4Thirty]

I will be the first to say there is certainly a place for amateur radio during disasters. The issue becomes when you get the ones that want to play cop and fireman radio guy and lose sight of their mission. Cops and fire radios are for a completely different purpose than helping your neighboors and community get messages out to loved ones.

In a past life I had a great group of hams that showed up to scenes and was willing to help us with whatever we needed. Those guys were a godsend and allowed me to free up my techs to get part 90 comms restored. Some of them would even go assist my techs with that or do other tasks.

Then there were the other ones who just got in the way and wanted to play superhero. Often those guys got hurt and took resources away to rescue them instead of citizens. Those guys i had no tolerance for.

Kudos to the gals and guys in NC and FL that are assisting their communities with their radios and skillsets!

 

[mmckenna]

Kudos to the gals and guys in NC and FL that are assisting their communities with their radios and skillsets!

I agree. This is the place where amateur radio can really shine.

I've been through a few local/regional disasters, and I haven't once needed hams to replace any public safety systems. But they absolutely have a role to play in health/welfare type traffic.

 

[trentbob]

I agree. This is the place where amateur radio can really shine.

I've been through a few local/regional disasters, and I haven't once needed hams to replace any public safety systems. But they absolutely have a role to play in health/welfare type traffic.

Agreed.. what's so unfortunate is with the second blast of Milton, and other subjects dominating the news which is very discriminate, right now, is the most critical time for those hit by Helene.

Not going to get into politics or reality, or the normal response which would be taken for granted from the government.. there are still so many people missing.

The story is completely out of the news loop now but people are still waiting to hear the status of their loved ones who have been missing for so long. The government services of the past no longer exist. Funds go elsewhere.

These people know the reality of the situation but need confirmation.

A phone call made to a family by well organized ham radio organizations are so appreciated, as sad as the news is.