Hams in Washington State and Missouri provided emergency communications during floods in December, while amateurs on the east coast stood by to help during a massive blizzard in January and hams in Ohio put down their radios to help distribute water to a town in need.
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| Flooding like this scene in St. Mary, Missouri, was common throughout southwestern Missouri and central Illinois after unusually heavy rains in December. (FEMA photo by Steve Zumwalt) |
According to the ARRL, 75
ARES members deployed after massive rains in early December caused flooding in
the Centralia area of Washington State.
They drove to selected high-water points and reported in on how rapidly the
water was rising. In late December, some two dozen St.
Louis area hams worked with the American Red Cross in serving meals
and helping to relocate people who were displaced by floods in southwestern Missouri and central
Illinois.
Amateurs up and down the east coast were on standby to provide
communications during January's big blizzard, but thankfully, all normal
communication systems remained operational.
In addition, ARES members
in Ohio
joined other volunteers in late January in distributing clean water to more
than 8000 families in Sebring, which had problems with elevated levels of lead
in drinking water. No radio communication was needed, but the ARRL says the
ARES members' efforts to help move and distribute water were greatly
appreciated by emergency management and Red Cross officials.
