Just saw this:
Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) SATERN special request for amateur radio operators for potential deployments to the Puerto Rico & Virgin Islands Division.
http://satern.org/en/news-na/2017/Sep/DeploymentStandby-2017-09-29.html
SOTA activating looks like perfect training. Wish my skills/equipment and life/work flexibility were up to this level.
The first phase of this action was done via the ARRL - 50 operators were requested and the first 20 of them flew out 2 days ago.
In all 450 Hams volunteered and are being kept in a backup list in case more resources are needed. It sounds like the link you have is to be used if you wish to be added to the existing backup list.
This is for Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands- if you wish to help financially the equipment and action is being sponsored through the ARRL HAMAID scheme, and they are asking for funds or of course you can contribute to the Red Cross or any other agency helping there, or indeed on any of the other island states devastated by the hurricanes.
Indeed, and in the UK we should perhaps be thinking first of British overseas territories, such as the British Virgin Islands, which got hit about as hard as PR and the American Virgin Islands.
Yes, there are numerous British territories and British Commonwealth countries in the Caribbean, all of which have been affected. Due to certain EU regulations, it seems the UK government is not allowed to divert part of the Overseas Aid budget to provide aid to these islands.
73,
Walt
I think its 2 different programs. The ARRL list is helping the Red Cross, this SATERN list is Salvation army. ARRL is providing equipment (but needs money for more), Salvation Army is “Bring Your Own” hence my thought that activating makes perfect training.
Here’s article on the 50 deploying now with ARRL/RedCross; http://qrznow.com/amateur-radios-force-of-fifty-answers-the-red-cross-call-in-puerto-rico/
Hi Mel,
Thanks for the correction - I should have “twigged” SATERN is of course the Salvation Army, as you say the earlier action was the ARRL + Red cross. Good luck to all organisations and individuals who are able to help.
Ed.
Perhaps we should exit from that as well, then, if they are preventing us from making our own decisions on what we spend our money on!
73,
Walt (G3NYY)