And now, The Disaster Continues
(The Disaster started in 1974 and ran weekly for decades. It now is a monthly feature on the first Wednesday of each month on the MARA net on 146.74 Mhz in Salt Lake City, Utah)
After the earthquake, you are asked to assess damage in your neighborhood. You are assigned a 4 block area and asked to report on EVERY house/building in that area. Some of the other hams are reporting their findings on 6 Meters or 1.25 Mhz or 33 cm in order to avoid simplex crowding. The Net Control Station has radios to handle all those frequencies. You are then asked to become the NCS station. The current NCS operator is going to leave 15 minutes after you arrive (for another assignment)and he will take his radios with him. What do you do?
I would use those 15 minutes to find out if any of the hams reporting in on 2 Meters and 70 centimeters can also do 6 meters or 1.25 Meters or 33 centimeters. If so, they could relay messages (both ways) as time permits.
If that fails, I would see which of the current frequencies my radio would receive (but not transmit) and notify the stations on those frequencies that I would monitor their transmission, but not be able to reply or ask for clarification. If possible, I would have those stations move to the 2 Meters or 70 cm frequencies in spite of the crowding so that two way traffic can be maintained.
In doing your four block assessment, you will report on damage, injuries, deaths, needs, and resources. In the case of needs, you will need to report immediate needs such as bandages, first aid, medical assistance, etc. You will also need to gather and report information regarding people who will have a pressing or life threatening need in the near future as follows:
Household assessments
Level I - Within 24 hours
Level II - Within 48 hours
Level III - Within 72 hours
These would include people who need oxygen, insulin or other medical supplies once their own reserve runs out. There are state agencies and Red Cross divisions that will assist in providing the needed items IF they know of the need.
Infection Control
Wash your hands before and after EVERYTHING! Carry disinfecting wipes and/or hand cleaner with you. Rubber gloves are a great help. If you are doing rescue work and moving objects and debris, work gloves are a necessity.
After an earthquake, there will be lots and lots of dust in the air. Some of it will be carrying infectious organisms. The hospital masks that are passed out at ALL hospitals and nursing homes are effective against most airborne germs. They are NOT effective against chemical agents and gasses.
There is also the matter of conflicting priorities. Some of us belong to several ham radio groups. Which one will you serve with? If you are CERT trained, will you be doing CERT work, Ham Radio work or both? (A ham radio could certainly make it easy to know where you are needed when you finish your current task!)
Just serve wherever you can do the most good. Most if not all of us will have many different assignment during the course of the disaster before things settle down into a routine. If you are no longer needed where you are, find out where you CAN serve!
N7OZH - until next time!
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