Got this from someone in our division this morning. Haven't had a chance to run this past some Red Cross people yet (they are out of state at this time), but if true is perhaps a reason why we haven't been treated as a 'valued partner' by Red Cross national. Has anyone else heard about what is mentioned as current Red Cross policy in this message? - Bill N3LLR
At 12:41 PM 9/2/2008 -0400, Pat Mullet wrote:
Guess we dodged a bullet where Gustav is concerned. Did come across a disturbing note on the MIARPSC reflector. Apparently, Red Cross will no longer use HF and/or Ham radio operators for H&W traffic because it isn't "secure." Guess the lessons everyone else learned from Katrina needs to be re-learned at the Red Cross. As I recall, the "secure" methods--Internet, telephone, cell phone, satellite phone, fax, etc, either were saturated or simply failed, and it was Amateur Radio that got messages in and out of the area, often saving lives in the process.
Good day everyone. If you receive request from folks asking you to send a message to a Red Cross shelter, headquarters, or other Red Cross facility in an attempt for them to find family members impacted and displaced by Hurricane Gustav, do not take it. The Red Cross policy is not to accept amateur radio H&W traffic nor is it to send any H&W via amateur radio. This is due to the lack of security that amateur radio has. The current Red Cross policy is for those looking for family and friends in impacted areas to register on the Red Cross Safe & Well website, <https://disastersafe.redcross.org/>https://disastersafe.redcross.org/ or with the H&W Activity at the Red Cross shelter, headquarters, or service delivery site.
This Safe & Well website provides a way for those in the disaster area to register them self as safe and well.From a list of standard messages, they can select those that they want to communicate to their family members, letting them know of their well-being.
Concerned family and friends can search the list of those who have registered themselves as safe and well.The results of a successful search will display a loved ones First Name, Last Name, an As of Date, and the safe and wellmessages selected
Many organizations are working with the American Red Cross to provide families a variety of services and tools to communicate with loved ones during times of emergency. In addition to using this website, also consider the services offered by the agencies listed on the Service Partners page.
If you have questions, please email me at headstall at monarchy.org
Best Regards, Richard "Doc" Strait, AC8AL Volunteer Disaster Services Technology Team Lead Red Cross Serving Muskegon Oceania and Someways counties. National Red Cross Volunteer Disaster Services Technology Supervisor.
It would appear, for all our work in getting the word out to the pubic, as well as our record of achievement in the past, the NIH (not invented here), high tech, bleeding edge mentality is still firmly entrenched in disaster management. I constantly run into the same thing on a local level--The Midland County ARES group is an integral part of the County disaster planning, but we can't get the local chapter of the Red Cross, local Fire Department or Law Enforcement to give us the time of day. If they can't control the comms, they don't want to use them I suspect the only reason we're allowed inside the Law Enforcement Center is that the ES Department wants us there. In neighboring Isabella County, the Director of Central Dispatch barred all hams from the facility and ordered the removal of all amateur gear.
Sorry for the rant, but I just don't know how to overcome what I can only see as pigheadedness.