Ohio ARES members stared down “Snowmageddon” 2019, the mid-January blizzard that blanketed the lower Great Lakes region. Based on ominous forecasts and discussion with Assistant SECs across the state, Section Manager Scott Yonally, N8SY, and the Ohio Watch Office, SEC Stan Broadway, N8BHL, asked ARES operators to provide observations and reports to assist decision makers at the Ohio Emergency Operations Center and county emergency management agency centers.
“We could do this safely from our homes, and integrate our reports (remotely) into the state’s WebEOC management system, which could be read by the Ohio Watch Office and any other emergency official around the state,” Broadway said. “We had never tried this, and it seemed like a great way to promote the Amateur Service’s ability to provide situational awareness on a wide scale.” Broadway said conditions generated by the storm “could have resulted in an emergency” and warranted a statewide ARES response.
A statewide net was convened on Saturday, January 9, as conditions deteriorated. Amateurs quickly began checking in and reporting their local conditions with specific details. The reports were compiled by Ohio’s AuxComm Team station W8SGT, which was operated from Broadway’s residence on 80 meters, and the VHF/UHF Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) network (the Ohio Talk group), simultaneously.
By nightfall, storm conditions had stabilized, and reporting slowed to the point that the statewide net could be closed. Many county-level nets were also in operation.
The Ohio “Snow Net” received 131 reports from 44 of Ohio’s 88 counties, split evenly between HF and DMR. The short-notice net was entered into the ARES Connect system and more than 50 amateurs signed up for the net event. Several other local snow nets entered for county events also. The statewide reports were logged and submitted every few hours to the state Homeland Security/Emergency Management Agency Watch Desk through WebEOC.
Broadway said emergency managers around the state were impressed that Amateur Radio could furnish reports with such detailed information. He said HF capability to reach across the state was a proven asset, with effective communication in all directions. The DMR system functioned much like Ohio’s public safety radio system, connecting nearly 80 repeaters across the state through the internet. This service had been untested and this event created the perfect proving ground, Broadway said. “We needed dependable statewide communication where all stations would benefit by hearing reports as they were filed,” he pointed out. “The Ohio Talk Group was used with great success, with no known problems with dropout or system faults. Communication proved reliable even with the severe weather threatening power loss and antenna corruption.”
Ohio ARES operators provided a broad range of information including snow depths, wind speeds, and “Level 3” declarations, closed airports and more. Under Level 3 in Ohio, non-essential motorists on roadways are subject to arrest.
Broadway conceded that more aggressive alerting of District and county Emergency Coordinators would have given them more time to prepare. More guidance for local nets might have contributed to more realistic expectations and efficient operation — the specific weather information sought and time frame of operation anticipated, he added.
“Winter storms are part of the Ohio landscape, and we don’t propose ramping up a net for every snowfall. But when the forecasts call for extreme conditions, ARES operators have now proven we can be a true asset for our served partner agencies. — Ohio Section Emergency Coordinator Stan Broadway, N8BHL
Source:ARRL
Equipment
Assembled a prototype of Geckokapula V2 a dualband 70cm/13cm handheld FM/CW radio
Assembled a prototype of Geckokapula V2 a dualband 70cm/13cm handheld FM/CW radio. It also does AM and SSB reception in addition to FM and CW. An awes... Read more
TOKYO HY-POWER HL-1.5KFX HF/50MHz Desk Top Linear
Features: Small footprint Light weight- lightest 1kW amplifier in its class Internal power supply 2 antenna output ports 6 meter operation Automatic b... Read more
PANADAPTER For Any Radio DC – 160 MHz SDR Antenna Switch
PANADAPTER For Any Radio DC – 160 MHz SDR Antenna Switch Read more
KX-QRP 2nd Look – Elecraft KX2 or KX3
The KX-QRP 2nd L👀K is an accessory for use with the Elecraft KX2 or KX3 Radios. These radios have the ability to decode RTTY, PSK and CW signals (with... Read more
Ameritron AL-572
Ameritrons new class of Near Legal Limit Amplifiers give you nearly full legal SSB power output for 65% of the price of a full legal limit amplifier... Read more
UNIDEN UBCD3600XLT DIGITAL SCANNER RECEIVER 25-1300MHz
UNIDEN UBCD3600XLT FEATURES, FUNCTIONS AND SPECIFICATIONS: • Favorites Scan – Allows you to organize your Systems into Favorites Lists. The scanner wi... Read more
VHF
AMSAT/Vanderbilt RadFXSat-2/Fox 1E Set to Launch
Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne is a go for launch on Wednesday, January 13, at 1500 UTC, carrying the AMSAT/Vanderbilt RadFXSat-2/Fox-1E CubeSat into spac... Read more
DB-750X Dual Band VHF/UHF 750 Channel Commercial Mobile Radio
DB-750X Description All of the features you want at an affordable price. The newest mobile added to the Powerwerx lineup features Narrow band transmi... Read more
Automated Portable Station for tracking the orbit of ham satellites [Video]
Automated Portable Station for tracking the orbit of ham satellites, meteorologic satellites and International Space Station (ISS). The transce... Read more
RADIODDITY GS-5B ANALOG RADIO | 5W | DUAL PTT | BLUETOOTH PROGRAMMING | S-METER | USB CHARGING
Professional VHF UHF Radio: Dual band, dual watch, dual standby, up to 128 channels. Equipped with an 8.9-inch long antenna, this solid 5W radio can r... Read more
Es’hailSat 2 portable reception
Receiving Es’HailSat 2 from my balcony using *very* minimal setup. Read more