Natural Hazards Observer
| November 2004 | Volume XXIX | Number 2 |
Amateur Radio Operators Vital
in Disaster Response
Amateur radio operators have a history of providing supplemental communications to local, regional, and state emergency operations. The recent spate of hurricanes in the southeast United States was no exception. Three organizations that played roles in the emergency operations are Hurricane Watch Net (HWN), the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES), and the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES).
The HWN consists of a group of licensed amateur radio operators trained and organized to provide essential communications support to the National Hurricane Center (NHC) during times of hurricane emergencies. Its primary mission is to disseminate tropical cyclone advisory information to the Caribbean, Latin America, and the United States. The HWN activates whenever a hurricane is within 300 miles of projected landfall or becomes a serious threat to a populated area, gathering ground-level weather data and damage reports and conveying that information to the hurricane forecasters in the NHC. Operators are strategically dispersed throughout the hurricane-prone regions to provide a continuous path of communications from storm-affected areas to the NHC.
Unlike the HWN, which operates in advance of a storm, RACES is not activated until an event results in a formally declared disaster, and response becomes a governmental action. RACES was originally created to support communications during civil defense emergencies, but the role of the operators now includes support to local emergency management during other types of disasters and emergencies. More formal than ARES, it is supported by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its responsibilities are laid out in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Civil Preparedness Guide available at http://www.fema.gov/library/civilpg.shtm.
Although similar to RACES, ARES has a much more informal relationship with DHS. As a result, ARES operators can self-deploy (they do not need to be officially activated) and thus play a role in a wider range of incidents and are often activated earlier than RACES operators. Many operators are involved in both organizations and can easily switch roles (from ARES to RACES) once a disaster is formally declared. Among other things, these operators supplement communication at emergency operations centers and shelters by assisting with interagency communications, providing an alternative means of communication when traditional methods are unavailable, and freeing-up emergency personnel to focus on other things. Fully trained to work within the incident command system, they are also included in exercises and drills and often incorporated into local emergency response plans. For more information about these organizations and their contributions to community safety and security, visit them on the Web.
http://www.hwn.org/
Hurricane Watch Net
http://www.fiu.edu/orgs/w4ehw/
Amateur Radio Station at the National Hurricane Center
http://www.races.net/
Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service
http://www.ares.org/
Amateur Radio Emergency Service
Citizen Corps Mobilized to Assist with
Hurricane Disaster Support
The recent hurricanes marked the first-ever nationwide activation of Citizen Corps members, expanding the mission of the Citizen Corps from a locally based program to a national resource and reinforcing the importance of citizen preparedness. By tapping Citizen Corps members who are trained in first aid or disaster response and who volunteer in their communities, the state and federal response system has an additional resource for large-scale disasters.
Citizen Corps Councils and national Citizen Corps affiliate organizations mobilized more than 2,600 volunteers and representatives from 48 states to provide disaster support to communities affected by Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne. In addition, Citizen Corps Councils and volunteer members already established within Florida played a role in the state coordinated disaster relief efforts.
The Citizen Corps is DHS’ nationwide grass-roots program created to actively involve Americans in making communities safer, stronger, and better prepared for all emergencies. Fifty percent of the U.S. population is now served by nearly 1,400 state, county, local, and tribal Citizen Corps Councils. Find out more about the Citizens Corps at http://www.citizencorps.gov/.