Thank you for this email. Your intentions are well taken and I don't personally find it negative in any way, because it is honest.
I have experienced inclimate weather events many times and in many places. I grew up in Amarillo, which is under constant threat of inclement weather every time it rains in the spring. The people there are tough and very supportive of their community. The weather is a way of life and something everyone has to pay attention to. There are air raid type syrens every few blocks. Almost every home has weather radios, many homes have storm shelters. Most everyone has felt the direct effects of Tornadoes, huge hail, ice storms, blizzards, and in the spring, the winds run like crazy for a few months. Tough droughts make for nasty grass fires that scar the landscape and threaten lives, crops, livestock, and small towns for years. Skywarn in these communities is a public service that works well with the National Weather Service and the official emergency responders in this area as one single response team. We are very fortunate to live in a place that has almost a mild climate in direct comparison. In manys ways this community takes it for granted. Years go by here without major calamity, and once it is all clear, we go back to our busy lives. We all know the answers to your questions. The tough part is what is the solution? Is this a county issue, public service issue, or a Ham issue? BVARC does many things well, but SkyWarn is not one of them. There are good people in some of the emergency services groups, and there is very little interest in Skywarn at all. Some people like the thrill of tornado chasing, My personal experience is that these people have to be ready to face serious destruction and loss of life scenes that are unimaginable. Some of the more recent events like Jerral TX in 1997 shows how quickly a beautiful day can turn the world upside down. It is a hard thing to prepare for, and just as much so to witness the aftermath. . Our recent events expose this as a gap, but once power is restored and the sky is clear the focus will, most likely, head back to where it has traditionally been. I could be wrong, but not twice in one day. Have Fun and Stay Safe, Jeff KC5TT On Fri, May 17, 2024 at 11:50 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/
