Re: [BVARC] Emergency preparness

[K5BOU via BVARC]

Lee, I would be curious to know how many BVARC members were aware of it. Thanks for this info.        K5BOU-PhilippeBoucaumont Houston|Texas|USA| https://mccrarymeadowsweather.com/ On May 17, 2024, at 13:16, Lee Glassman WA5LEE via BVARC <bvarc@bvarc.org> wrote:  Just for the record, we were tasked by Harris County OEM (TranStar) with opening and monitoring an emergency net from around 1930 hours. Originally to be on the 147.000 citywide repeater, we learned that the antenna took some major damage, and the transmit footprint was seriously degraded. We then sent an announcement through groups.io to the members of the STX District 14 group that we were opening the net on the RoseHill 146.720 repeater. We ran it last night until 2300, stood down until 0700 today, and we are still monitoring it for emergency traffic or damage/power outages, etc.. We have a direct WebEOC line into HC OEM, and all emergency messages get instantly routed to them.   So….. Just an FYI, for those of you within range of H-Town, you can always check the Groups.io for STXARESD14 for any nets that may be stood up in an event..   Be safe out there, folks!   WA5LEE Lee Glassman, ARRL VE, COM-L, COM-T, AUXCOMM, NREMT #E3525310 Tomball, Texas https://wa5lee.com Pronouns: Him/He HCOHSEM AUXCOMM   From: BVARC <bvarc-boun...@bvarc.org> On Behalf Of Cathy Steinberg via BVARC Sent: Friday, May 17, 2024 12:51 PM To: BRAZOS VALLEY AMATEUR RADIO CLUB <bvarc@bvarc.org> Cc: Cathy Steinberg <cathyksteinb...@mac.com> Subject: Re: [BVARC] Emergency preparness   Last night a limb fell on some electrical wires behind  a house across the street from where my daughter lives in West Houston. There were flashes and spark like explosions happening over and over. Two houses were in jeopardy of catching fire.    My daughter and several neighbors called 911,311, Centerpoint Energy for over an hour and could not get anyone to answer.    When my daughter called me to tell me about it, I got on my radio and nobody was available to respond.    I then tried a GMRS channel and there were 2 people monitoring the calls. I gave them the address and within 15 minutes a constable and fire department showed up. A couple of hours later the trees behind these houses caught on fire. Since 911 was still not available I got back on the GMRS channel and they got the fire department to come back. In my opinion, the people monitoring this channel prevented a house fire and I was extremely grateful.    I just received my technician license in January and got it for emergency reasons. It already has paid off well.    I just wanted to share my experience.    Cathy N0JAB WSAB 405   Sent from my iPhone On May 17, 2024, at 12:49 PM, Scott Medbury via BVARC <bvarc@bvarc.org> wrote:  I think it's time for Harris, Fort Bend, Galveston,  Montgomery, and Chambers counties to step up and do it again.  David, I thank you for Brazoria country leadership. All too often we see severe loss of property and needless loss of life from severe weather.   73 ... Scott KD5FBA        On Fri, May 17, 2024, 12:18 PM David Lira <k5db...@gmail.com> wrote: NWS did a skywarn class in Brazoria county down in Angleton a few weeks ago. It was very informative. They're around but they aren't promoted very well.   Regards, David Lira K5DBL    On Fri, May 17, 2024, 12:10 Scott Medbury via BVARC <bvarc@bvarc.org> wrote: It has been years since I have heard of a NWS Skywarn Class which is several hours long and VERY informative.  I think that most of us could benefit from a refresher or the initial class.   73 and safe at home..  Scott KD5FBA    On Fri, May 17, 2024, 11:51 AM K5BOU via BVARC <bvarc@bvarc.org> wrote: I hope everyone is well. The following email contains my personal observations, which unfortunately lean towards a negative aspect. Yesterday, we encountered the effects of inclement weather. I was curious about the response of our dedicated emergency Ham radio Operators, who annually invest their time and effort in training for such situations. I understand during storms, it's crucial to disconnect antennas, either before or after the event. I didn't notice any activity on the radio during this time eighteen before or after. I tuned in to some net in Alabama and Florida, where they were actively discussing and preparing for the weather; Dallas also seemed to have a few emergency net in place yesterday. A week ago, during a "stir crazy net," someone mentioned that during previous hurricane events, there was little to no activity from the Ham radio emergency group/team. Here are some questions to consider: - Should our approach be reactive or proactive? - When is it appropriate for the Ham radio emergency responders to be activated? - Are all members of the Emergency Ham radio group in Fort Bend or Harris County physically capable of assisting when needed? - Should we consider collaborating with other Ham radio organizations, such as those in Florida, to glean insights from their experiences? And there could be additional questions to explore. I don't intend for this to prompt rude or sarcastic responses. Given that we are in Houston, and with the upcoming hurricane season predicted to be quite active and unique, I've shared a lot of relevant data on my Weather Facebook page. Does BVARC have a dedicated emergency response team to assist communities in need? These are just observations, with safety in mind. ________________________________________________ Brazos Valley Amateur Radio Club BVARC mailing list BVARC@bvarc.org http://mail.bvarc.org/mailman/listinfo/bvarc_bvarc.org Publicly available archives are available here: https://www.mail-archive.com/bvarc@bvarc.org/ ________________________________________________ Brazos Valley Amateur Radio Club BVARC mailing list BVARC@bvarc.org http://mail.bvarc.org/mailman/listinfo/bvarc_bvarc.org Publicly available archives are available here: https://www.mail-archive.com/bvarc@bvarc.org/ ________________________________________________ Brazos Valley Amateur Radio Club BVARC mailing list BVARC@bvarc.org http://mail.bvarc.org/mailman/listinfo/bvarc_bvarc.org Publicly available archives are available here: https://www.mail-archive.com/bvarc@bvarc.org/ ________________________________________________ Brazos Valley Amateur Radio Club BVARC mailing list BVARC@bvarc.org http://mail.bvarc.org/mailman/listinfo/bvarc_bvarc.org Publicly available archives are available here: https://www.mail-archive.com/bvarc@bvarc.org/

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