Our friends and neighbors over in Louisiana and Mississippi are mopping up according to my sources. I appreciate the chance to poll our team for possible deployment. In hind sight there is a lot to learn from seeing this event unfold “across the fence.”

Here is part of the update from ARRL on the 20th —

“All ARES personnel should be released by this evening,” said Assistant Section Manager Matt Anderson, KD5KNZ, who has been currently serving as the Incident Point of Contact in Baton Rouge. “Several amateurs will remain on site, reporting directly to the Red Cross as they begin to transfer to recovery operations. We greatly appreciate all the assistance from ARRL HQ and the many Sections who provided support to the operation.”

ARES volunteers in Louisiana were in the 6th day of operations in response to the recent flooding catastrophe in Louisiana, which also affected parts of Mississippi. ARES has been providing communication support to the Red Cross in five Louisiana parishes following record flooding in the state. Several shelters and Red Cross chapter offices are operating at full capacity.

Amateur Radio volunteers from Alabama, Arkansas, and Mississippi volunteered to serve at multiple Red Cross chapters and shelters throughout the affected area. With local and parish resources stretched to the limit, ham radio volunteers have been serving as the communication link between Red Cross shelters and command centers, relaying information on the needs at each shelter back to Red Cross offices.

So what could we be seeing had we gone? I never saw a final shelter count, initially reported were 40 shelters opened. But as many as 7,000 persons were claimed to be sheltered across the affected area. That’s a lot of locations to service. So the need was great, as late as the 17th they were still looking to field more ARES teams from Mississippi, Alabama and Arkansas where the bulk of the help came from. There were multiple frequencies in use, primary operating frequencies were 444.950 MHz (107.2 Hz), 146.940 MHz (107.2 Hz), and 146.790 MHz (107.2 Hz). Louisiana ARES HF Frequencies designated for use were 7.255 MHz and 3.873 MHz LSB. Digital operation was on 3.595MHz. In the reports I read, while the needs for operators were great, the focus on organization and structure was apparent. Ops were asked to not self-deploy but coordinate with sections and finally the ARES team in place in Louisiana. Also many of the local ops were not able to help as they had their own homes and families in trouble.

So in my eyes there are several takeaways:

1. Don’t self-deploy. We have discussed this on a local level but you can see how it would lead to chaos in a large event which is already fraught with chaos. There is reason for the organization’s function; let the Incident Command System work.
2. Go kits can be real things, especially for an extended event like this. Who would think we would ever need a 120 hour kit? Hmm… 6 x 24 = 144 hours plus travel. Think more about what you might have needed on such a trip.
3. Interoperability, Power Poles, coax with “standard” connectors, power supplies of adequate capacity for your equipment… There is a lot more to realize here that space permits, but you get the drift. You show up with an old VHF rig that can’t handle tones and can’t be configured, or connected to power, and well, it’s a nice paperweight for now.
4. What rig do I bring? What you are comfortable operating, that’s the tool(s) you need to bring. If you have a multiband radio like my TS-2000 “shack in a box” or a similar other brand you can just about cover the gamut of frequencies and modes. The club has a great portable setup that could have been well suited.
5. Depending on the need and our capability we might be spread out, so self-sufficiency is a consideration both operationally and for your personal needs.
6. Be sure your home front is in good shape before you roll out. Don’t get in a pickle because you thought everything was ok but the family needed you. People will be counting on you at both ends of the event to follow through with your support.

This could go on a bit more but I want you to think on this event and read some of the reports. What do you see we need to do to be prepared to provide mutual aid, or bolster our response here at home? One request was to provide a crank up tower on a trailer. We are part of the way there. I have secured a crank up tower for us, but we need a viable trailer on which to mount it, maybe a tool chest to carry rope, coax, wire, tools for setup, etc. Along with the labor to design the layout, functionality, and the hands to put it all together.

Over the past couple of years we have hit on a number of these topics, this event is a strong reminder as we look at ourselves to be ready to serve in a time of need. Let’s keep honing ourselves so when the call does come we are ready.

It’s my pleasure to serve with you.

73
Rick
K5ECX