In keeping with September being national emergency preparedness
month, along comes one of the largest
hurricanes in recent memory. At this point, it looks like the impact on our area will be limited to a few inches of rain and some gusty winds. However, for those south of us who are in the path of Hurricane Florence, the impact will likely be devastating.
Ham radio will play an important role, both in support of local responders and in handling message traffic out of area. Info about HF traffic net times and freqs will appear on ARRL and ARES web pages. As always, two things to keep in mind when supporting any emergency. First, make sure that you and your family are safe. Second, do not self deploy. Begin by contacting your local Emergency Coordinator (EC), state what resources you have available, and he or she will let you know how you can best provide support. EC for Prince William County is David, KG4GIY. You’ll find his contact info on the PWC ARES web page (http://www.pwcares.org), along with a wealth of information about training and disaster preparedness.
Those of us who joined Boy Scouts in our youth remember the Scout
motto – “Be prepared”. (Yes, postage really was 4 cents in those
days …) Today’s young Scouts will have an opportunity to
experience ham radio’s role in preparedness while enjoying contacts
with fellow Scouts all over the world the weekend of October 19th –
21st. Known as JOTA, or Jamboree On the Air, it’s one of Scouting’s
largest annual events. (https://www.scouting.org/jota/)
This year’s JOTA for local Scouts will be held at Camp Snyder in
Haymarket (https://www.ncacbsa.org/outdoors/camp-william-b-snyder/).
Volunteers are needed as control ops for their HF station. Want to
help these youngsters experience the magic of ham radio? Join us at
our September meeting for a presentation by Rob Hoitt, W4FSK, of
the Camp Snyder Amateur Radio Club. Hope to see you there