KY Flooding

Taken from ARRL.org

Amateur Radio Fills Communication Gap During Weekend Flooding

NEWINGTON, CT, Sep 27, 2006 -- When telephone and Internet service in Kentucky fell victim to flooding over the September 22-24 weekend, Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) teams took over to bridge the communication gap. Kentucky ARRL Section Emergency Coordinator Ron Dodson, KA4MAP, says the deluge, the product of up to nearly 10 inches of rain in Kentucky and Southern Indiana, resulted in states of emergency in 19 Kentucky counties and 12 cities, including Frankfort, the capital. Dodson says the high water, which evoked memories of severe flooding in March 1997, left at least 10 dead and many others homeless.
"All phone communications to the state emergency operations center (EOC) went down as early as 2 AM Saturday, returned and then went out a second time around 5 AM," Dodson reports. Emergency managers contacted Dodson to activate the Kentucky Emergency Net on 3.993.5 MHz to provide support communication between the EOC and Kentucky's 120 counties.
Dodson says telephone service in the EOC came back around mid-morning on September 23, although the Kentucky Emergency Net remained in operation as heavy rainfall began in western Kentucky.
"Within minutes, Shelby Ennis, W8WN, in Hardin County reported via the K4ULW 146.625 repeater that all telephone service, including the Hardin County E-911 facility, had gone down," Dodson said. "Cell phones soon overloaded and also shut down, basically stranding the whole county without outside contact except via Amateur Radio." He explained that conventional telephone systems failed in Hardin County because the provider had installed all its systems in a basement area that flooded.
For the next several hours, Dodson said, communication between the state EOC and Hardin County took place via the Bullitt Amateur Radio Society's KY4KY 146.700 repeater in Brooks. "The American Red Cross headquarters in Louisville also used this machine to communicate with their shelter and Hardin County emergency management," Dodson said. While the KY4KY repeater supported command-and-control communication, other operations took place via the W4BEJ 146.98 repeater in Elizabethtown and the neighboring K4ULW 146.625 repeater in Meade County.
Dodson said repeaters in Lawrenceburg, Lexington, Louisville, Louisa, Mammoth Cave and Madisonville ultimately were pressed into emergency service during the flooding event.
Communications Supervisor Bob Stephens, WA4CMO, of the Kentucky Department of Military Affairs said the Kentucky Emergency Management command vehicle was positioned adjacent to the state EOC to provide communication on both Amateur Radio and MARS frequencies. Pat Compton, KF4FMZ, and Bull Uschan, K4MIS, staffed the Amateur Radio side, while Richard Howe, KB5WCH, represented the Civil Air Patrol during the Saturday operation, which continued for several hours.
"We operated all systems during the afternoon and provided critical communication between the EOC and Hardin and Meade counties," Stephens reported.
The American Red Cross summoned members of ARES District 6 -- the Louisville/Jefferson County Metro area -- to assist with damage assessments and to maintain communication with the Hardin County shelter operation. According to Jefferson County Emergency Coordinator John Hesse, KF4IZS, those operations continued on Sunday as additional damage assessment details deployed in Louisville and in Fisherville in Spencer County.
The Franklin County Chapter of the American Red Cross also contacted Woodford County EC Jerry Mueller, KC4WZO, Sunday morning seeking Amateur Radio volunteers to support communication in the flooded Millville area. "The Red Cross had three disaster relief teams in the Millville area, and cell phone communication was not reliable," Dodson said.
Paul Harrington, KB4ENQ, Rob Hutchinson, KI4ODT, and Mueller responded, joined by Compton from the Capitol Amateur Radio Society. Hutchinson and Compton went to Millville for several hours to provide communication for the Red Cross and to help deliver meals, drinks, ice and supplies. Harrington and Mueller remained at the Red Cross Chapter to handle net duties in case communication assistance was needed in another area.
Dodson said Stephens told him afterward that Kentucky Adjutant General Lt Gen Donald Storm and Kentucky Division of Emergency Management Director Maj Gen Maxwell Bailey "were pleased with the way Amateur Radio functioned in providing communication when all else failed. They extend their thanks to those amateurs who gave of themselves in this effort."