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MISSION: We
all watched Hurricane Isabel for over a week as it grew to a Category
5 hurricane and made its turn toward the Mid-Atlantic coast on Monday,
September 15, 2003. We all wondered how we would fair and by Wednesday
morning, we knew we would be tested.
That day, the initial calls went out to our Loudoun
County Amateur Radio Emergency Service's Emergency Coordinator - Tom Dawson
- WB3AKD of Round Hill, VA. Bottom line: The Loudoun Chapter of the American
Red Cross needs our help. Electrical power, phone lines, cell phones were
all at risk and folks mostly will need shelter.
We got word to report into an 8 PM, Wednesday, Loudoun
ARES Net and start to get organized. The following 9 PM LARG Reflector
message by John Unger - W4AU for Tom Dawson summed up what we had to do:
"QST QST QST
Here are notes from the 9/17/03 2000 EDST on-the-air meeting:
Currently, WB3AKD, NC4S, and NA4MA are setting up a communications command
center at the Loudoun County Emergency Center, near the National Guard
Armory east of Leesburg.
Loudoun County is planning on setting up three emergency relocation centers
in the county:
Dominion High School - Sterling
Heritage High School - Leesburg
Loudoun Valley High School - Purcellville
We can start setting up communications at the centers at 1200 EDST tomorrow,
9/18/03, and have to be ready and on the air by 1600. Each center will
need VHF, UHF, and HF (40 and 80 meters) communications capability.
Currently, W4AU and AI2C have volunteered to set up the Loudoun Valley
High School center.
Tom, WB3AKD, the Loudoun EC for ARES is requesting help for setting up
the other two centers and staffing for all of these three centers.
You can contact Tom on 147.480 or via email at: [email protected]
Please monitor 147.480 simplex and the 145.310 repeater for further information.
Also, check your email frequently for bulletins.
de John, W4AU for Tom, WB3AKD, Loudoun County EC"
OPERATIONAL
NOTICE
On
Thursday afternoon, Tom Dawson - WB3AKD, the Loudoun County ARES EC distributed
the following message:
"DATE: Thursday, September 18, 2003 12:58 PM
SUBJECT:
Loudoun ARES Hurricane Isabel Operational Summary
TO
ALLCON:
AS OF THURSDAY 12:00 EDT, THE AMATEUR RADIO STATION K4LRG, LOCATED AT
THE LOUDOUN COUNTY EOC IS MAINTAINING A VHF NET ON 147.48 MHZ SIMPLEX.
STATIONS AT DOMINION HIGH SCHOOL, LOUDOUN VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL AND HERITAGE
HIGH SCHOOL (RELOCATION CENTERS) ARE UNDER CONSTRUCTION. EACH STATION
WILL HAVE VHF VOICE AS PRIMARY COMMS WITH HF BACKUP AND LONG HAUL. UHF
CHOICE AND VHF PACKET WILL BE ASSEMBLED LATER AS TIME AND RESOURCES ALLOW.
FREQUENCY PLAN:
VHF VOICE SIMPLEX 147.48
VHF REPEATER 145.31 (N4FSC)
UHF REPEATER 442.1 (K4LRG) PL 77
HF
STATIONS WILL MONITOR THE VEN-A NETS ON 3947 OR 7260. CHANGEOVER FROM
40 TO 75 METERS IS EXPECTED ABOUT 1600.
STAFFING:
AT PRESENT, ALL STATIONS EXCEPT RED CROSS LEEBURG CHAPTER HOUSE ARE STAFFED,
BUT THIS WILL BE A LONG OPERATION. THEREFORE ALL ARES MEMBERS ARE REQUESTED
TO SUPPORT ONE OF THE STATIONS FOR AS LONG AS YOU CAN.
PLEASE CONTACT K4LRG WITH YOUR AVAILABILITY ON 147.48. PLEASE GIVE PRIOIRTY
TO EMERGENCY TRAFFIC.
DEPENDING ON THE SEVERITY OF THE STORM, ADDITIONAL STATIONS MAY BE REQUIRED.
PLEASE PREPARE ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT FOR DEPLOYMENT IN THE EVENT IT IS
NEEDED.
PRESENTLY THE 12 FOOT SHELTER WITH THE PNEUMATIC MAST HAS BEEN PRE-POSITIONED
IN PURCELLVILLE. A TRAILER MOUNTED TOWER WILL BE PRE-POSITIONED AT THE
EOC ION LEESBURG.
BT
Tom Dawson
WB3AKD
ARES EC Loudoun County, VA
(540) 454-0520 (Cell)
(877) 790-3115 (Pager)
[email protected]"
SUMMARY:
Things
pretty well ran their course throughout Thursday night and Friday morning.
There was some message traffic as the Red Cross folks passed information
about on hand supplies and staffing levels. And a few folks took up the
Red Cross offer at the Heritage High School. About midnight, the winds
picked up and shifted into the south as Isabel moved north and well west
of us over western Maryland into southwest Pennsylvania. Some bands of
rain and wind were heavy but most antennas held. Evan Alford - KQ4CI reported
that the big antenna at 300 feet had been pushed into some other stuff,
so he had switched to a lower backup antenna on the K4LRG Repeater. It
still seemed to hold it own. By mid-morning Friday, it was clear that
things were over and only a water supply issue remained for some parts
of Loudoun County. Late Friday afternoon, all had received 'Close Station
- March Order' direction. This was a real one and you never knew if something
bad would happen at home or to your family or to your friends. This was
a lot of work and was potentially dangerous; I'm proud to have been out
there with you gals and guys. It was good to 'ride' with you all. Count
me in next time.
Best Regards, Norm
Styer - AI2C de Clarkes Gap, Virginia.
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