Killer Tornadoes Rally ARES Teams in Several Eastern States
NEWINGTON, CT, Nov 11, 2002--Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) teams in several states have activated following an outbreak of severe weather November 10. Characterized as the worst rash of tornadoes in the US in years, the twisters left behind more than 30 people dead, dozens injured and widespread property damage. Tennessee, Alabama and Ohio were among the states hardest hit, but the swath of violent weather and the tornadoes it spawned also affected Mississippi, Kentucky and Pennsylvania as well as parts of the Virginias. Reports from ARES teams in the affected states are still trickling in.
"Our weather-spotting network was instrumental in providing timely information to Nashville National Weather Service, which immensely helped their ability to issue severe weather/tornado warnings," said ARES Assistant Section Emergency Coordinator for Middle Tennessee Thomas Delker, K1KY. He reported damage throughout his section of the state. Affected counties included Montgomery, where a couple died after winds picked up their mobile home and dropped it nearly 200 feet away.
Following the tornadoes, Delker said, Coffee County ARES was active with help from members of Rutherford County ARES. He anticipated hams would assist the American Red Cross in damage assessment and in other activities. At least two fatalities occurred in Coffee County--approximately halfway between Chattanooga and Nashville on Interstate 24. At least one shelter was open in the county.
Delker said that while Coffee County was most affected, Warren, Franklin, Bedford and Cumberland counties also sustained damage, and crews worked through the night to assist in damage assessment and initial cleanup. According to news accounts, at least three people also died in Morgan County in Eastern Tennessee.
Hams in Tennessee have been maintaining statewide emergency traffic nets, and Delker said he planned to do an aerial survey of the affected areas around Coffee County today.
In Ohio, ARRL Section Manager Joe Phillips, K8QOE, reported emergency nets up and running in Van Wert, Ottawa and Senaca counties, which suffered the most extensive damage in the Buckeye State. ARES organizations in Ohio District 2 and District 3 were standing by, Phillips said. Two Lucas County (Toledo) units promptly responded November 10, deploying an emergency communications trailer to Tiffin in Senaca County and an emergency communications van to Port Clinton in Ottawa County, Phillips said.
Ohio traffic nets, including the Ohio Single Side Band Net (OSSBN), were on the air. "The OSSBN will remain in session as long as it is needed," Ohio Assistant Section Manager Connie Hamilton, N8IO, told Phillips.
The Ohio Emergency Management Agency has a temporary station set up in Van Wert County on the OSSBN frequency to facilitate communication in and out of the region most devastated by the November 10 tornadoes, Phillips said.
Phillips said a tornado destroyed the home of former Ohio District 2 EC Ralph Shields, WB8YIH, in Van Wert. "Ralph reported that he was in the basement with his family when it hit," Phillips said. When family members looked up after the storm had passed, they saw that their house had been replaced by a big window to the sky.
ARES and SKYWARN volunteers also were on duty as Kentucky sustained severe storms November 10. "Twice in the same day, amateurs activated for severe weather," said ARRL Kentucky SEC Ron Dodson, KA4MAP. Dodson called the early morning session "minor" compared to the one that followed at around 5 PM--which began with a tornado warning. "Torrential rains with hail--pea to dime-size--and winds up to 67 MPH were reported," Dodson said. A tornado funnel indicated by radar was never visually verified by spotters, however.
Damage in Kentucky occurred mostly in Meade and Breckenridge counties and was largely limited to downed trees and power lines. It was a similar story in the Lexington area, where Assistant EC Pat Spencer, KD4PWL, reported hams also supplemented normal communications facilities taken out by the storm. "Apparently a major transmission line was hit on the west end of Fayette County that knocked out power to perhaps one-quarter of the city [of Lexington] and to the City of Versailles," Spencer reported.
No ARES reports are yet available from Alabama, where at least 11 people died as a result of the storms and many others were injured. Hardest hit in Alabama was Walker County, northwest of Birmingham, where a junior high school was demolished.
Meteorologists are blaming the severe storms on a combination of a strong jet stream moving toward the east and strong surface winds from the Gulf of Mexico.