stats I can cite in writing a grant request?

[BRADYCREEL]

I'm drafting a grant-request memo to ask for funding for a backup battery power supply for our club's repeater (along with a few other sundry items).

We're a university amateur club with a healthy group of student and former-student members, and we are seeking to play a greater role in RACES activity, etc.  However, we need to justify a battery backup to get university grant money.

Where can I find stats or anecdotes on hams' involvement in crisis communication, etc.?  Our campus experienced a massive four-hour power failure in April 2003, and we'd like to refer to that episode in the context of having no backup communication.

Anybody got any ideas?

73,

Brady | KD5LAE in College Station, Texas

[KC8VWM]

Want more information on emergency backup power and why no one should be without it?

Try my webpage:

You are welcome to use the reference material for your own use and for justifying your needs.

Examples:

August 14,2003 - 50 Million people were without electricity. President Bush declares it the largest blackout in U.S. history.

February 7, 1998 - Clients of Hydro-Québec, representing several million people, were without electricity; 11,500 Armed Forces personnel were brought in to assist in relief efforts. This represented the largest such military deployment in history on Canadian soil.        

A GOVERNMENT REPORT ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF EMERGENCY BACKUP POWER DURING REAL TIME DISASTERS:

http://www.angelfire.com/on/cbushell/solar/Disaster%20Report.pdf


The complete webpage is located here:

http://www.angelfire.com/on/cbushell/solar/solar1.html

Sorry, about all the popup ads. These were added to Angelfire long after I put up the webpage.


73

Charles - KC8VWM

[KG4HLZ]

Hear is an article on the Center for Disease Control Web site that mentions the importance of Ham in a disaster. Search the page for Amateur Radio.
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00001072.htm

The ARRL has a huge list of articles on past activations as well.

Bruce
KG4HLZ

[KA3RFE]

Brady,

Well, first, does your repeater support any emergency responders like ARES and RACES? Do they use your repeater? That would be the very first thing to check off on your grant propsal. If it's used, then highlight that.  If the repeater isn't being used for drills and nets, invite the emcomm guys to use it. Invite any nets to use it or start your own.

You've already mentioned the power failures. You want to stress that when power goes down, your repeater could become an alternative for emergency services to use if it is on the air.

You could mention the search for Columbia debris and the huge role ham radio played it that.

People have already mentioned ARRL, but you want to try to keep your proposal on local events and only use outside locales if they have any relationship to College Station. If you're in tornado country you'd want to stress tornados. Get floods? Mention them.

And very definately contact local emergency management and offer to join RACES and contact the local ARES organization, too.

Hope this helps. If you brainstorm with someone else, you can come up with all sorts of situations in which your repeater would play a part.

73, Pete KA3RFE