Amateur radio operators
were key players in a five-day disaster drill in the Pacific Northwest.
According to the ARRL Letter, the
Federal Emergency Management Agency's "Cascadia Rising" exercise
simulated a major earthquake and tsunami which wiped out all normal channels of
communications. More than 500 hams from three states took part in the drill,
along with additional amateurs in British Columbia, which was conducting a
parallel exercise. "We were able to support all our served agencies and
clients," the Western Washington Section Manager reported to the ARRL.
A second earthquake
simulation exercise – scheduled for September 21 – will focus on communications
among and between Native American communities on tribal lands, many of which
are located in remote areas. According to Newsline,
the National Tribal Emergency Management Council and the National Tribal
Amateur Radio Association are recruiting ham radio clubs and individual hams in
tribal communities to participate in the "Day of the Quake" drill.
