The events of today should now make a lot of us realize how important ARES, RACES, SKYWARN, and even REACT groups are when it concerns immediate emergency communications that are needed in the disaster area. If any of you were not for sure how these groups could help, you know now. All you had to do today was monitor everywhere and hear what was going on.
I listened in most of the day at the Bell County (Texas) EOC today and heard hams doing what they do best: providing emergency communications wherever they are needed. To those doing that, I salute you! But the need becomes greater in the coming days. Are we up to the challenge? I think so.
But, I also heard the dark side of amateur radio tonight. On 14.265, the SATERN Emergency Net had been in operation all day. At about 0145 UTC, two hams, one from the US and one from Barbados, tried to make the emergency net CHANGE FREQUENCY because their net was being interfered with on 14.267. I don't know about you, but I strongly feel that those actions were extremely selfish and callous, and that those two hams needed to move themselves. Who cares if their little group had met there for 25 years??? When an emergency net is in progress, give leeway to the net and GET OUT OF THE WAY, or better yet, HELP THEM OUT!
I know I'll see some flames on this, but I will take the stance this way: If you support those two hams that wanted an emergency net to change frequency because of QRM to their stupid little net, you are just as much in the wrong as they are. Anyhow, my DELETE button works just fine.
Warren Rowe / KM5EW
Florence, Texas