Emergency Communications

Hello to all….

….Whittenton Pond Dam Amateur Radio Shelter and EOC Operations Suspended at approximately 2 PM Friday Afternoon. Operations on the dam continues….
….Taunton Emergency Management Continues to Monitor the Situation and pumping and stabilizing operations on the dam continue….
….More rain is forecast for the Taunton area and its unclear if this will severely impact dam stablization operations….

At 2 PM Friday afternoon, the Whittenton Pond Dam Amateur Radio Shelter and EOC operations were suspended. Pumping and stablization operations on the dam continues and Taunton Emergency Management is monitoring those operations. At this time, more rain of 1-2″ with isolated 3″ amounts are forecasted for the Taunton area. Its not clear what these rains will do to operations on the dam and Taunton Emergency Management is monitoring the situation.

At this time, no further assistance is required for this event. A HUGE thank you goes out to Eastern Masaschusetts ARES operators, Brad Anselmo-N1VUF from SEMARA ARES, Steve Schwarm-W3EVE from Norfolk County ARES and Dan Howard-Cape Cod ARES for participating in operations with the Taunton Emergency Management Amateur Radio team of 12 Amateurs. Also, special thanks to Joe Serrilla-W1JOE from the Bridgewater ARES/RACES team, who provided a mattress to a needed evacuee in the shelter on Monday Evening. Also, special thanks to Taunton Emergency Management for their recognition of the importance in Amateur Radio in this operation and their coordination with Eastern Massachusetts ARES during this event.

Carl Aveni-N1FY, South Shore ARES District Emergency Coordinator, Bob Mims-WA1OEZ, Region II RACES Radio Officer and I will continue to monitor the incoming rain and any impact on the dam and the city of Taunton EOC and shelter operations.Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Pager #: (508) 354-3142
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 1-800-445-2588 Ext.: 72929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://users.rcn.com/rmacedo
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Hello to all….

….Situation on the Whittenton Pond Dam Improving As Large Pumps from Hurricane Katrina are installed and running and pumping water out from the Mill River, relieving pressure on the Dam to allow for critical repairs before the next significant rain event….
….Amateurs Continue to be involved in shelter and EOC Operations in the city of Taunton with two relief operators sent from ARES this morning. The shelter maybe closed in the midday to early afternoon timeframe thus ending ARES/RACES Operations in the city of Taunton….
….ARES Operators and ARES SKYWARN Spotters Urged to Monitor Future Forecasts for significant rainfall late Saturday through Monday and possibly more rainfall in the Tuesday to Wednesday timeframe with moisture associated with Hurricane Wilma or its remnants….

The situation on the Whittenton Pond Dam is improving as large amounts of water are being pumped out of the Mill River with pumps used to pump out New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. Some areas, specifically the downtown area of Taunton have been reopened, however, there are still about 18 streets closed in the city of Taunton. It is hoped that the remaining streets will be opened around the midday timeframe after coordination last night with Peter Ferreira-KB1LXG, Assistant Emergency Management Director for the city of Taunton.

Two relief operators have been sent in to the city of Taunton to assist with operations. Dan Howard-K1DYO from Cape Cod ARES and W3EVE-Steve Schwarm, Norfolk County ARES District Emergency Coordinator are deploying for 7 AM this morning. They understand the scope of the mission may change and that operations maybe shut down early or they could go through the afternoon. They are prepared to be flexible and adapt to the changing situation. They will be relieving Amateurs from the city of Taunton Emergency Management team who have been active for much of the week. Brad Anselmo-N1VUF from SEMARA (Southeast Massachusetts Amateur Radio Association) ARES provided relief operations during the midnight shift for both Wednesday and Thursday Mornings. The Taunton Emergency Management team has had 12 Hams active from their team and Amateurs from the Mansfield EOC/Sturdy Memorial team have been active as well as reported by Allan Cox-K1VQ through Carl Aveni-N1FY, South Shore ARES District Emergency Coordinator.

ARES Operators and ARES SKYWARN Spotters are preparing for another round of heavy rainfall late Saturday into Monday. Another 1-3″ of rain is possible in the region. If amounts do not get to the 4″ area, extensive renewed flooding is not expected but if rainfall reaches or exceeds 4″ of rain, more flooding problems will develop. We are also keeping an eye on Hurricane Wilma as remnants or moisture from Wilma could affect the region Tuesday into Wednesday and if it is significant, it could result in significant renewed flooding and that threat is being monitored as well.

The situation in Taunton continues to be monitored by Rob Macedo, KD1CY, Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator, Carl Aveni, South Shore ARES District Emergency Coordinator, and Bob Mims, WA1OEZ, MEMA Region II RACES Radio Officer. Further updates will be posted as needed and as time allows.Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Pager #: (508) 354-3142
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 1-800-445-2588 Ext.: 72929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://users.rcn.com/rmacedo
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Hello to all….

….Amateur Radio Operators Continue to be Active in the city of Taunton due to the potential collapse of Whittenton Pond Dam on the Mill River in Taunton Massachusetts….
….SEMARA ARES To Send One Amateur To Support Overnight Operations. There is Potential for Further Requests for ARES/RACES Amateurs within the Eastern Massachusetts Section to Deploy in small numbers….
….Deployment is solely dependent on the Taunton Emergency Management and Taunton ARES/RACES leadership. Do NOT Self-Deploy. Await instructions from your ARES DEC, EC, or myself for any deployments that may be needed….

During the day today, the dam situation has stabilized to some extent but there remains a significant threat for the dam to breach and flood portions of the city of Taunton. After conditions on the dam got worse overnight, there has been no further degradation of the dam but there remains significant vibration of the dam and damage to wooden stanchion at the bottom is suspected with the wood structure totally rotted away providing a lack of support for the dam to hold up. It remains unclear whether the dam will collapse but a significant risk of the dam collapsing remains.

Amateur Radio Operators continue to support operations at the city of Taunton EOC and at the Taunton High School shelter. There are approximately 90-95 evacuees in the shelter. There are a total of 12 Amateurs assisting in the operation including the EMA Director and Assistant EMA Director who are both Amateurs. This was reported by Bruce Hayden, NI1X, Taunton RACES Radio Officer through Carl Aveni, N1FY, ARES District Emergency Coordinator for South Shore ARES. In addition, 5 Amateurs from the Bridgewater ARES Team have been monitoring the situation. As reported earlier, W1JOE-Joe Serilla donated a mattress to the effort on Monday Night and offered his skills as a communicator as well as a certified cook for the operation. SEMARA ARES monitored through the club station at W1AEC through the efforts of Chris Washburn-W1EAV who was requested to go to the club and monitor the situation for as long as possible.

Taunton Emergency Management requested a relief Ham to man the Taunton EOC for the Midnight shift. That request was funneled by Bruce Hayden-NI1X to Carl Aveni-N1FY. After conferring with Carl, Brad Anselmo-N1VUF from SEMARA ARES will be manning the EOC during the 3rd shift timeframe. This also means that there maybe a need for additional deployment of Hams from the various ARES teams in Eastern Massachusetts in small numbers. Remember the rules that Eastern Massachusetts ARES has regarding deployments, do NOT self-deploy and wait for instructions from your ARES, EC, DEC or myself for any deployments. Checks on availability may get sent to various ARES teams by ARES leadership over the next day or so pending the threat from the dam and future operations in the city of Taunton.

ARES and RACES leadership continue to monitor the situation through the efforts of Bob Mims-WA1OEZ, MEMA Region II RACES Radio Officer, Carl Aveni-N1FY, South Shore ARES District Emergency Coordinator and myself. Continued updates through these sitreps will be posted to keep everyone informed with ongoing operations as changes develop and time allows.
Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Pager #: (508) 354-3142
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 1-800-445-2588 Ext.: 72929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://users.rcn.com/rmacedo
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Hello to all….

….Amateur Radio Operators Continue to be Active in the city of Taunton due to the potential collapse of Whittenton Pond Dam on the Mill River in Taunton Massachusetts….
….Eastern Massachusetts ARES and Region II RACES Continues to monitor the situation….

The city of Taunton EOC and the Taunton High School shelter continue to be active in support of evacuees who have left their homes in the area near the Mill River in Taunton, Massachusetts. Amateur Radio Operators at the Taunton High School shelter and the Taunton EOC continued to be active throughout the night supporting shelter needs. The dam has continued to show signs of deterioration but has not failed as of yet. School has been cancelled in the city of Taunton and businesses in the downtown district have been closed. Road closures in Downtown Taunton have also occurred. A breach of the dam has not occurred as of yet. Operations continue on the 147.135-Taunton Repeater. N1UMJ-John, Bruce-NI1X, Carlos-WP4US, Don-KB1LXI along with other Amateurs of the city of Taunton continue to support operations. A complete list of Amateurs supporting the operation will be listed when a list is available. W1JOE-Joe from the Bridgewater ARES/RACES team left a mattress for an evacuee who needed it at the Taunton High School Shelter. Joe is also a certified cook and offered his services for the shelter in that capacity. The Bridgewater ARES/RACES team is preparing to back up the Taunton team as needed.

The latest information on this dam is contained in the NWS Taunton Massachusetts Flash Flood Warning statement. See the link below for the latest information:
http://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.wgus51.KBOX.html

Region II RACES Radio Officer, Bob Mims, WA1OEZ, South Shore ARES District Emergency Coordinator, Carl Aveni, N1FY, and Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator, Rob Macedo, KD1CY are closely monitoring the situation in case additional support is needed. At this time, the Amateur Radio resources of the city of Taunton continue to handle the situation within their own resources. The situation will continue to be monitored and updates will be posted as needed.
Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Pager #: (508) 354-3142
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 1-800-445-2588 Ext.: 72929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://users.rcn.com/rmacedo
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Hello to all…

….Amateur Radio Operators have been activated in the City of Taunton due to the potential collapse of the Whittenton Pond Dam on the Mill River in Taunton Massachusetts….
….Eastern Massachusetts ARES and Region II RACES is monitoring the situation….

The city of Taunton EOC is activated along with one shelter to support evacuees who are being asked to leave an area that would be susceptible to flooding in the event of a potential collapse of the Whittenton Pond Dam on the Mill River in the city of Taunton. Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator, Rob Macedo, KD1CY and Region II RACES Radio Offier, Bob Mims, WA1OEZ are monitoring the 147.135-Taunton Repeater. A Status Report has been sent by NI1X-Bruce Hayden to ARES District Emergency Coordinator, Carl Aveni-N1FY, who is also monitoring the situation.

Local officials have stated that the dam could potentially fail at anytime. For further information, please see the NWS Taunton Flash Flood Warning Statement at this link:
http://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.wgus51.KBOX.html

Right now, the local Amateur Radio resources in the city of Taunton have the situation under control. We will continue to monitor the situation in case further Amateur Radio resources are required.

Updates will be posted as required. Please monitor the web site and various email lists for these updates.
Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Pager #: (508) 354-3142
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 1-800-445-2588 Ext.: 72929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://users.rcn.com/rmacedo
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Hello to all….

With the impact of Hurricane Katrina becoming one of the most horrific natural disaster’s in United States history, it is evident that the recovery effort will become one of potentially national significance lasting months and not weeks. Given that is the case, I will begin posting coordination messages similar to ones that I post for SKYWARN but detailing the disaster relief effort and what Eastern Massachusetts ARES is doing to be prepared to support the affected area if called upon by the appropriate leadership in Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana and now South Texas given that thousands of people are now being sheltered in Texas.

Contact was made with Louisiana ARES Section Emergency Coordinator Gary Stratton-K5GLS this morning via email. At this time, they are in a “hold mode” concerning any outside support. They are awaiting word from Louisiana Homeland Security on when they can begin their deployments. Until that time, we have been asked to stand-by and await any further instructions. In that same note, I offered a “remote support” component from our ARES organization to support their operations. This support included net controls on HF, net controls utilizing VoIP and any relay stations to take traffic that is out of the affected area and destined for our region in the form of health and welfare traffic. At this time, they are so busy with emergency and priority traffic, that they are focused on that piece of their work at this time. Health and Welfare traffic has been halted into the region at this time. It is not yet known when Health & Welfare traffic will be facilitated from the affected area to the areas where loved ones are located across the United States.

As we watch the visions of despair, violence and in parallel the hope the disaster relief efforts provide, I’d like to remind all in the ARES community of the following:

1.) Please do not self-deploy to this area. It is a significantly dangerous and life-threatening situation. As much as we all want to help, the best thing to do right now is to wait until the situation stabilizes enough so that help can be properly provided. We all want to be heroes as we as Amateur Radio Operators have a knack for wanting to help our communities. The best help we can provide right now is to remain calm and patient. When the section’s affected is ready for our support, whether it be remote support or the support of a team to deploy to the area, they responsible leaders of the affected ARRL sections will call for us.

2.) Some Amateurs may have seen the database for Hams to sign up for message handling and deployment. Please do not sign up through that database. If you are interested in supporting the operation whether it be through remote message handling or deployment to the affected area, please let your DEC or myself know and we will be prepared to utilize you in the event of remote support or actual deployment.

3.) We must be careful not to overextend ourselves to support these ARRL sections affected by Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Season continues and the peak is not till mid-September. It is still conceivable that we could be affected by a hurricane in our section and we will need to be ready to protect and support our communities. Also, let us not forget the continuous threat that Al Qaeda imposes on our homeland as well. There remains threats to our area so we need to balance supporting this horrific disaster with making sure our region is properly covered if a weather related, terrorist related or other such incident occurs in our region.

The President of the ARRL, Jim Haynie, W5JBP, sent out a powerful and excellent message to the Amateur Radio Community concerning being ready to help the region. A link to this article is provided below:
http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2005/09/01/2/?nc=1

There are several frequencies active handling emergency and priority traffic. Those that would like to monitor the nets are welcome to do so but please do not interrupt traffic on the nets. Stand-by and monitor the nets and you will get a sense of what our Amateurs in the affected area are going through. The HF frequencies are listed below and were mentioned in the ARRL article on the web site:

West Gulf ARES Emergency Net:
7.285 MHz Days and 3.873 MHz nights LSB on
both frequencies.

SATERN Net: 14.265 USB

The next step from an Eastern Massachusetts ARES perspective will be to offer support to Mass. Bay Red Cross and Salvation Army to see if there is anything that can be done from a communications perspective working through our local relief agencies. As things develop, I will pass the information along to everyone.

Donations for people in the affected area can be made through the Red Cross and Salvation Army. Various work places may have also set up fundraising finds through their companies.

Please contact me or your ARES DEC with any questions or if you want to volunteer for any type of remote support or actual deployment if actual deployment becomes necessary in the coming weeks. Thanks to all of you for your continued support of ARES!
Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Pager #: (508) 354-3142
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: (508) 346-2929
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://users.rcn.com/rmacedo
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