Re: [BVARC] Emergency preparness

2024-05-17 Thread Cathy Steinberg via BVARC 
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. CathyN0JABWSAB 405Sent from my iPhoneOn May 17, 2024, at 12:49 PM, Scott Medbury via BVARC  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  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  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  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.








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Brazos Valley Amateur Radio ClubBVARC mailing listBVARC@bvarc.orghttp://mail.bvarc.org/mailman/listinfo/bvarc_bvarc.orgPublicly available archives are available here: https://www.mail-archive.com/bvarc@bvarc.org/ 
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[BVARC] Fwd: Armadillo Network

2024-03-12 Thread Cathy Steinberg via BVARC 

> 
> Good morning members of BVARC.
> 
> I just received my license about 2 months ago and I am very new to the world 
> of Ham Radios.
> 
> Can someone tell me  how would one go about joining the Armadillo Network if 
> I don’t know anyone to recommend me?
> 
> Thank you in advance.
> 
> Cathy Steinberg
> N0JAB



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