Hi activators,
In W4A, W4C, W4G, W4T, and W4V Hurricane Helene left a wide swath of destruction and devastation. In many places there is no electric power, no cell service, no water, the roads blocked or washed away, and of course, antennas down.
I’m in AZ, safe and sound, but my mast, Hex Beam and 136’ wire in NC are demolished. I expect it’ll be months before I will be back on the air from NC, once it’s safe to go back.
73,
Andy, N4LAG
Glad you are safe, Andy, I have been following the news with sympathy for the losses and devastation.
The important part is that you are safe. This weather event has proven to be extreme, and I hope all areas affected can rebuild and recover.
73,
Curtis, N1CMD
Andy,
I’m happy to hear that you and Debbie are safe and away from the danger.
Good luck for repairing the damage on your ham infrastructure, you had such an efficient system.
73, Eric
Hi Andy, Sorry to hear about all the damage, and about the loss of your hex beam. I hope your home is OK.
I’ll be in Fountain Hills, Arizona from Oct 15 - Nov 15. I hope we can meet up to do a summit. Also, I’ll be attending the sota gathering in Mesa, AZ on Oct 19. Hope to see you there.
Hi Andy,
Hope your damage is repairable without too much expense and effort, I enjoyed our recent activation and I’ll pick one with a better road next time!
My niece lives near Asheville also and her reports are not good for the area.
Best wishes,
73,
Dale
Material can be replaced, the important is that no one was hurt…
Sly
K4SWL posted an aftermath report on his qrper blog a couple of days ago.
Says he and his family are safe and doing OK. Limited internet, power, and cell service. Will update when he can…
I lived out on Guam for several years and dealt with these kind of storms every year. Every once in a couple of years one would be a direct hit and wipe the island clean! No internet back in those days, but can relate to the no power, phones, or power for months at a time. Just having a source of cool, safe drinking water is worth it’s weight in gold!
From what little news I watch nowadays, looks like potential for more storms coming their way! Hopefully by now the Red Cross and Nat’l Guard have made their way in and are getting people the supplies needed.
73, Todd KH2TJ
Sorry to hear it, Andy. Glad you and Debbie are safe. Things will work out.
73,John, K6YK
North and west Of Charlotte, NC, it is still like a war zone. 3 days now and the first load of water from government has arrived. Meanwhile, the amateur radio community has been providing limited supplies and relief since Friday, Sep 27.
Here is a link if you would like to listen to the Mt Mitchell repeater (W4C/CM-001). Most traffic has been going through there.
https;//www.broadcastify.com/webPlayer/43107
If the link doesn’t work, search Broadcastify for Mecklenburg county NC, W4HTP 145.350.
The 145.350 repeater is down for repairs so the owner decided to switch the Broadcastify feed to the Mt Mitchell repeater.
Glad you are safe and I know all our W4C brothers and sisters have our support.
73,
Dave
KO4YLZ
You neglect to mention where those supplies are coming from, and also failed to mention the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, which already had thousands of personnel, and supplies and equipment on the ground in all of the to-be-affected states before the storm struck. That’s entirely down to good federal government weather monitoring (NOAA) and emergency planning (FEMA). I doubt the Red Cross will make much of an impact, but the more helping hands the better.
Hi Andy,
I’ve been following the hurricane news on TV, and believe me, I’ve been thinking of you. I’m sorry for all the damage and the loss of your antenna, and I’m glad you’re safe in Arizona.
A big hug from Spain.
José
Very glad to hear you are safe, Andy. Sorry to hear about the antennas and I hope your home is not too badly damaged.
Best wishes for your return home.
73,
Mike K6STR
I had no idea the destruction was so bad. I’ve been buried in work and have not paid much attention to the news, but from what I have heard did not reference the damage. What a difficult situation.
I hope services are restored quickly. I volunteered and went to New Orleans after Katrina and Houston more recently, and the destruction is overwhelming. Sounds like some repeaters are still on the air. I will listen to that one repeater linked. Thanks Gary.
Until further notice, the entire Blue Ridge Parkway in NC is closed. There is no date set yet for re-opening. Once inspectors and engineers check every mile of the parkway and deem it safe for travel, there will be no SOTA summits or hiking trails accessible from the Parkway.
73 Gary