Hams respond in aftermath of Oklahoma disaster

[WA4STO]

After an EF5 tornado swept through Oklahoma on May 20, radio amateurs in that state assisted the American Red Cross with its communications efforts. ?Amateur Radio operators were asked to support voice communications from the American Red Cross Oklahoma City Chapter Headquarters to their feeding station at the Incident Command Post located in Moore,? explained ARRL Oklahoma Section Emergency Coordinator Mark Conklin, N7XYO. Moore, located about halfway between Norman and Oklahoma City, suffered the brunt of the tornado damage. As of 8:30 CDT on May 22, all Amateur Radio operations in support of the American Red Cross ceased.

At least 24 people, including nine children, were killed when the 1.3-mile wide tornado moved through Moore, Oklahoma?s seventh largest city. The National Weather Service stated that the tornado traveled an estimated 17-mile-long path for 50 minutes, with an estimated peak wind that ranged from 200-210 miles per hour, making it an EF5 storm, the most powerful category of tornados possible.

In addition to the American Red Cross, members of the Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) were also in Moore, ready to support and assist with the Amateur Radio response. According to ARRL Oklahoma Section Manager Kevin O?Dell, N0IRW, the tornados disrupted cellular service in the affected areas.

?I have been in regular contact with Oklahoma Section officials since yesterday morning,? said ARRL Emergency Preparedness Manager Mike Corey, KI1U. ?Through the ARRL EmComm Twitter feed and regular communication with our national partners, the ARRL has been sharing information on the Amateur Radio response to the Moore tornado. Our folks in Oklahoma who have been assisting the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army have been doing a great job and they have my heartfelt thanks for the work they are doing for their community.?

Corey also stressed that those who wish to assist with response efforts in Oklahoma should not self-deploy. ?The ARES leadership in the Oklahoma Section has everything under control and there is no need for volunteers from outside the Section,? he said. ?If you would like to assist in the overall recovery effort, please check out the website of National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (VOAD).?

[WA4STO]

Subject: Weather update



May 2013 has been a challenging month for the Oklahoma BBS node, with two severs weather system setups camping on our doorstep within 2 weeks and spawning multiple days of severe thunderstorms, tornadoes and torrential rainfall and literally DOZENS of NOAA weather radio alerts.  Yesterday's events (May 31st) included what is termed a "Meso Cyclone" in the OKC area, where one supercell was supporting multiple funnels on the ground at the same time.  Specifics as to loss of life and property damage/loss are available in media reports.  The basic summary... loss of life:  Incalculable.  Property damage/loss estimate in excess of $5 billion and climbing.

May 31st events began with NOAA alerts around 6PM CST.  We were rockin' and rollin' all evening with (relatively mild) wind gusts to 30MPH alternating with still air.  As significant lightning approached things looked grim enough that we shut down everything and disconnected all coax lines.  Grid power has been subject to lightning hits with spikes and outages since the first storm outbreaks last week, so we disconnected from the grid and went to generator power.  All storms bearing down on this QTH either veered off predicted (warned) course or just disintegrated before getting here.  Although we were told to expect 2 to 6 inches of rain to go with the 2.5 inches of the past 48 hours we received only a trace.  Areas as close as 20 miles received rainfall totals in excess of 8-10 inches and flooding is extensive.

Most storm activity seemed to be clearing our QTH by 2300CST, so we re-connected coaxes, returned to grid power and put the BBS system back on the air about 2315CST.  However, a new NOAA warning around 2345CST placed us under "High Wind Warning", until 0300CST, for "possible sustained straight line winds to 60MPH".  A new lightning storm developed, but nearest strikes appeared to be 5 miles distant.  Storms at OKC delivered near constant rain for more than 12 hours and the path of those sustained rain/thunderstorms began to shift in our direction around midnight.  Those storms passed south of our QTH and highest winds recorded at 20MPH.  Although an additional system shutdown was contemplated around midnight, lightning proximity dictated otherwise.

We're on the back edge of today's (June 1st) severe threat, then supposedly in the clear on Sunday.  We are officially ready for this s*#t to stop.  All of our fruit trees are permanently "windswept" to the NorthEast and the beets and beans in the garden are growing sideways.  This week's rains (short-lived, but torrential) washed away dirt along several feet of one corner of the XYL's barn, and will require immediate remedial work with dirt and sod.  Two areas of roof perimeter will have to be guttered and piped to our sump system which pumps water away from the barn area to open pasture.

Although we strongly suspect that the light at the end of the tunnel is an oncoming freight train, prayer and preparedness are serving us well.  Along with our own (virtually inconsequential) damage repair we will be participating in relief work for true storm victims through our local 912 Project.  It is incredibly reassuring to be a part of the TAPRN group, knowing that in times of need TAPRN members are prepared to provide assistance, not only to family, friends and fellow human beings, but to fellow TAPRN members.  We can all provide restorative assistance, in one form or another, to those in every state/locality affected by the recent forces of nature, whether by thoughts and prayers, charitable contributions or physical action.

Strength is multiplied exponentially by numbers... encourage your like-minded, preparedness oriented amateur radio contacts to join the TAPRN system.

73,

Jess