http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2016/october/recovery-efforts-continue-after-disaster.htm
BIG ISLAND ARRL NEWS, 24 October 2016, 20:00 hrs, UTC, Post #28.
Accessed on 24 October 2016, 20:00 hrs, UTC.
Reporter:
Jim Linton (VK3PC
Chairman
IARU Region 3 Disaster Communications Committee.
Please click link to read the full story.
Comment:
In the United States, radio amateurs use ARES, RACES, SATERN, and other groups to help emergency management personnel during emergencies.
In the Philippines, that task falls to The Philippine Amateur Radio Association (PARA) and its HERO net. Other radio amateurs belonging to the United Methodist Communication aid local officials in sending emergency and welfare traffic.
This report from Jim Linton (VK3PC), the chairman of the IARU Region 3 Disaster Communications Committee, gives you a vivid account of how Philippine radio amateurs responded to the call for emergency communications help.
The task before the Philippines is immense with many communities cut off from power, communication, and roads.
According to a recent IARU Region 3 report, “Considering the limited access to other communications channels, the use of ham radio is being used to support affected communities to communicate with their loved ones and provide feedback to their evolving needs.”
The hardest hit areas were Cagayan, Isabela, and Aurora Provinces which “had limited access to communication, with electricity expected to take three weeks to be restored.”
Radio amateurs in the Philippines are doing a tremendous job, considering the resources available.
Roberto Vicencio (DU1VHY) reports that the frequency in use for Typhoon Haima remains the same as the one used for Typhoon Sharika which passed over the Philippines just before Typhoon Haima–7.110 MHz. Please keep this frequency clear for emergency traffic.
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