[arrl-odv:26735] Force of Fifty Volunteers to Puerto Rico
Ladies & Gentlemen: By now you have received Rick Roderick's bulk membership appeal for experienced operators to deploy to Puerto Rico as well as his appeal for funds for Ham Aid. Today, within 12 hours, we met our initial volunteer requirements. Below is the press release we will send tomorrow morning and post on the ARRL web crawl. If your members ask how they can help, direct them to the Ham Aid Donate button on the ARRL website. Press release follows: Amateur Radio's Force of Fifty Answers the Red Cross Call in Puerto Rico September 25, 2017 Newington CT For immediate release Fifty of the nation's most accomplished Amateur Radio operators have responded within 12 hours to the call of the American Red Cross to deploy to Puerto Rico and provide emergency communications. At the behest of Red Cross, ARRL rallied the US Amateur Radio community to provide up twenty-five, two-man teams of highly-qualified hams. The group's principal mission will be moving health and welfare information from the island back to the US mainland where that data will be entered in Red Cross "Safe & Well" website: https://safeandwell.communityos.org/cms/index.php . The group will deploy the middle of this week and remain deployed on the island for up to three weeks. ARRL will equip each two-person team with a modern digital HF transceiver, special software, a dipole antenna, a power supply and all the connecting cables, fitted in rugged waterproof container. In addition, ARRL is sending a number of small, 2,000 watt portable generators as well as solar-powered battery rechargers of the variety used by the US military on extended expeditionary deployments. The hams and their equipment will be sent to Red Cross shelters extending from San Juan to the western end of the island. "This generous outpouring of response represents the finest qualities of the Amateur Radio community," said Tom Gallagher, ARRL's CEO. "These individuals are dropping whatever they are doing now, heading off to an extended hardship-duty assignment, and offering their special talents to Americans who have been cut off from their families, living amid widespread destruction and without electrical power since Hurricane Maria struck the Caribbean region last week." "In the nearly 75-year relationship between ARRL and the American Red Cross, this is the first time such a request for assistance on this scale has been made", said Mike Corey, ARRL's Emergency Preparedness manager from ARRL's Newington CT headquarters. "Hurricane Maria has devastated the island's communications infrastructure. Without electricity and telephone, and with most of the cell sites out of service, millions of Americans are cut off from communicating. Shelters are unable to reach local emergency services. And, people cannot check on the welfare of their loved ones. The situation is dire." How can you help? In a letter to all ARRL members, President Rick Roderick asked for contributions to ARRL's Ham Aid fund. President Roderick emphasized, "equipment has been flying out the door since Harvey struck the US mainland. From meeting requirements in aid of Hurricane Irma victims in the US Virgin Island and Florida, our stores of ham aid kits are completely depleted." Donate to Ham Aid. ARRL's Ham Aid program loans Amateur Radio equipment kits to established Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES(r)) groups and partner agencies during disaster response, in order to establish Amateur Radio communications support. Ham Aid is supported by donations from individuals and corporations - including many of our ham radio industry partners. ARRL has previously staged Ham Aid equipment in Texas, and in the last weeks we have supplied kits in Florida, the US Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Our supply of Ham Aid kits has been rapidly depleted. Your donation to Ham Aid will help us, now. Your contributions to Ham Aid are 100% tax deductible. To make a donation online, go to www.arrl.org/arrl-donation-form<http://www.arrl.org/arrl-donation-form> and select "Ham Aid" from the ARRL donation form. To donate by mail, print a donation form, and mail it with your check payable to ARRL, noting "Ham Aid" on the memo line of your check; mail to ARRL, 225 Main Street, Newington, CT 06111 USA. -- 30 -- Tom Gallagher - NY2RF Chief Executive Officer ARRL Headquarters ARRL - The national association for Amateur Radio(tm) 860 594 0404 cell 704 907 7158 tgallagher@arrl.org<mailto:tgallagher@arrl.org>
Outstanding! Brian N5ZGT
On Sep 25, 2017, at 16:29, Gallagher, Tom, NY2RF (CEO) <tgallagher@arrl.org> wrote:
Ladies & Gentlemen:
By now you have received Rick Roderick’s bulk membership appeal for experienced operators to deploy to Puerto Rico as well as his appeal for funds for Ham Aid. Today, within 12 hours, we met our initial volunteer requirements. Below is the press release we will send tomorrow morning and post on the ARRL web crawl. If your members ask how they can help, direct them to the Ham Aid Donate button on the ARRL website. Press release follows:
Amateur Radio’s Force of Fifty Answers the Red Cross Call in Puerto Rico
September 25, 2017 Newington CT For immediate release
Fifty of the nation’s most accomplished Amateur Radio operators have responded within 12 hours to the call of the American Red Cross to deploy to Puerto Rico and provide emergency communications. At the behest of Red Cross, ARRL rallied the US Amateur Radio community to provide up twenty-five, two-man teams of highly-qualified hams. The group’s principal mission will be moving health and welfare information from the island back to the US mainland where that data will be entered in Red Cross “Safe & Well” website: https://safeandwell.communityos.org/cms/index.php .
The group will deploy the middle of this week and remain deployed on the island for up to three weeks.
ARRL will equip each two-person team with a modern digital HF transceiver, special software, a dipole antenna, a power supply and all the connecting cables, fitted in rugged waterproof container. In addition, ARRL is sending a number of small, 2,000 watt portable generators as well as solar-powered battery rechargers of the variety used by the US military on extended expeditionary deployments. The hams and their equipment will be sent to Red Cross shelters extending from San Juan to the western end of the island.
“This generous outpouring of response represents the finest qualities of the Amateur Radio community,” said Tom Gallagher, ARRL’s CEO. “These individuals are dropping whatever they are doing now, heading off to an extended hardship-duty assignment, and offering their special talents to Americans who have been cut off from their families, living amid widespread destruction and without electrical power since Hurricane Maria struck the Caribbean region last week.”
“In the nearly 75-year relationship between ARRL and the American Red Cross, this is the first time such a request for assistance on this scale has been made”, said Mike Corey, ARRL’s Emergency Preparedness manager from ARRL’s Newington CT headquarters. “Hurricane Maria has devastated the island’s communications infrastructure. Without electricity and telephone, and with most of the cell sites out of service, millions of Americans are cut off from communicating. Shelters are unable to reach local emergency services. And, people cannot check on the welfare of their loved ones. The situation is dire.”
How can you help? In a letter to all ARRL members, President Rick Roderick asked for contributions to ARRL’s Ham Aid fund. President Roderick emphasized, “equipment has been flying out the door since Harvey struck the US mainland. From meeting requirements in aid of Hurricane Irma victims in the US Virgin Island and Florida, our stores of ham aid kits are completely depleted.”
Donate to Ham Aid. ARRL’s Ham Aid program loans Amateur Radio equipment kits to established Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES®) groups and partner agencies during disaster response, in order to establish Amateur Radio communications support. Ham Aid is supported by donations from individuals and corporations – including many of our ham radio industry partners. ARRL has previously staged Ham Aid equipment in Texas, and in the last weeks we have supplied kits in Florida, the US Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Our supply of Ham Aid kits has been rapidly depleted. Your donation to Ham Aid will help us, now. Your contributions to Ham Aid are 100% tax deductible. To make a donation online, go to www.arrl.org/arrl-donation-form and select “Ham Aid” from the ARRL donation form. To donate by mail, print a donation form, and mail it with your check payable to ARRL, noting “Ham Aid” on the memo line of your check; mail to ARRL, 225 Main Street, Newington, CT 06111 USA.
-- 30 --
Tom Gallagher – NY2RF Chief Executive Officer ARRL Headquarters ARRL - The national association for Amateur Radio™ 860 594 0404 cell 704 907 7158 tgallagher@arrl.org
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participants (2)
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Brian Mileshosky -
Gallagher, Tom, NY2RF (CEO)