==>AMATEUR RADIO VOLUNTEERS FILLING COMMUNICATION GAPS IN GULF REGION

Hundreds of Amateur Radio operators from the Gulf Coast and elsewhere in the
US continue to volunteer their skills and expertise as the Hurricane Katrina
relief effort heads into its third week. ARRL Section Managers (SMs) and
Section Emergency Coordinators (SECs) across and around the affected region
have been teleconferencing daily to keep their efforts on the same page. In
the field, Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) and other volunteers are
assisting as needed to support communication for relief agencies as well as
for state and local government and even the Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA). Louisiana SEC Gary Stratton, K5GLS, says Amateur Radio was
the only means for state officials at the state emergency operations center
(EOC) in Baton Rouge to communicate earlier this week with the so-called
"Florida parishes" above Lake Pontchartrain.

"We have had praise from one end of Louisiana to the other about Amateur
Radio operators," Stratton said. "There was a communication to the EOC in
Baton Rouge from FEMA that said, 'Ham radio is our prime communications with
you, and they should get anything they need,' so FEMA recognizes the
importance of ham radio." He also recounted how state officials arriving at
the EOC were using ham radio to get through to their hard-hit parishes.

A marshaling center has been established in Covington, Louisiana. ARES has
been continuing to support Red Cross shelter and Southern Baptist Convention
debris-clearing in St Tammany parish, as well as Baptist Men's Kitchen
canteen operations. In Washington Parish, ARES volunteers--including more
than a dozen from South Texas--have been providing critical communication
among hospitals and the parish EOC, among other functions. Field teams were
continuing to use HF to maintain communication with the EOC in Baton
Rouge......................................................

This comes from www.arrl.org and its "ARRL Letter. I call attention to the
quotes by FEMA officials and others as tp the necessity and vitality of
Amateur Radio to the relief effort in the aftermath of Katrina. Yes, it is
from a publication dedicated to Amateur Radio itself, but I also invite
readers to go to the site and read the entire article AND the part where the
National Guard borrowed equipment from HAMS WHEN THEIRS WOULDN'T WORK!!!!!!
THERE ARE INSTANCES WHERE A M A T E U R R A D I O WAS, AND STILL IS, THE O
N L Y means of commuications into and out of various Louisiana
parishes!!!!!!!!!!!! The O N L Y communications. Period!

Again, it doesn't matter how MUCH ham radio contributes, but that it IS
contributing in VITAL ways and, in some cases, is the ONLY communications.
Period. HAHAHAHA!

We can deny, denigrate, belittle, downrate Amateur radio all you like, but
facts is facts. I am sitting here LISTENING to HF ham radio traffic of all
kinds from the stricken area. A lot of it sounds important to ME, but then
what do I know? *I* am not the ones (Lenny) in denial!

Jerry