TO: ALL WOOD COUNTY ARES MEMBERS (OFFICIAL)
ALL ARES AND NON-ARES AMATEURS ANYWHERE (INFORMATION)
FROM: KEN HARRIS WA8LLM ARRL DISTRICT 3
EMERGENCY COORDINATOR WOOD COUNTY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS INC.
WOOD COUNTY ARES BULLETIN NR 19.36 DATE: September 8, 2019
SUBJECT: WATER, THE AWESOME POWER!
"April showers bring May flowers," but then those April showers, and any other months, can turn into what some of us refer to as "Gully Washers", "Toad Stranglers", and few other colorful names. Some of those gully washers can wash all those flowers downstream. Well, at least it seems that way. "The Awesome Power!", as National Weather Service refers to it, can come quickly and often without warning.
How can we help during flooding conditions? We can monitor the Weather Alert Radio for pending storms and listen to public service frequencies and list all the roads closed by high water. We can gather information from other amateurs who are mobile or live near creeks and rivers. With this info, a designated SKYWARN volunteer can contact the National Weather Service and give them a consolidated report of the situation.
Remember, you should never drive through high water. A foot of water could push your vehicle off the road, and two foot of water will carry away most vehicles. If you venture out to get information, just go to the locations were the road is covered, give that information, then go back the way you came. Remember "Turn Around, Don't Drown!
This type of information is not worth risking your life for. A few reports from different areas will give the National Weather Service the information they need.
Ken Harris WA8LLM
WCEC
Wood County WV