Category: News

HURRICANE MICHAEL MAKES LANDFALL NEAR MEXICO BEACH.  SECTION ARES TO STAND DOWN FROM LEVEL 3 ACTIVATION

As of 1900 EDT on Wednesday 10/10/18, Hurricane Michael is located inland about 30 north-northwest of Bainbridge, Georgia, just inside of southwestern Georgia.  Hurricane Michael made landfall early this afternoon near Mexico Beach located between Panama City and Port St. Joe as a Category 4 hurricane.  Hurricane Michael maximum sustained winds have decreased from 145 to 100 miles per hour and is headed north-northeast at 13 miles per hour.  Hurricane Michael is forecast to continue its track across Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina and southern Virginia, first as a hurricane and then weakening to a tropical storm before emerging off of the coast of Virginia late Thursday evening, then continuing northeast out into the open eastern Atlantic, transitioning into an extra-tropical area of low pressure on Friday.  The Florida peninsula at this time can expect some near Tropical Storm force winds near the coast in the northern counties of the West Central Florida Section. All of the West Central Florida Section can expect periods of rain squalls as the storm moves north over the Gulf of Mexico overnight and on Wednesday. At the present time, the only warning that is in effect for the West Central Florida Section is a Storm Surge Warning for Pasco County. All other watches, including the Tropical Storm Watch and the Storm Surge Watch have been discontinued.

As of 2000 this evening, West Central Florida Section ARES will stand down from a Level 3 activation. Pasco County ARES stood down late this afternoon from its partial activation and Hillsborough ARES/RACES and Sarasota County ACS stood down from their standby modes this afternoon as well.  Arrangements are being made to provide an HF station at the Salvation Army office in Tampa to help then with being able to communicate with their offices in the panhandle during the recovery phase of those impacted by Hurricane Michael.

Ben Henley KI4IGX, our Section Emergency Coordinator, is coordinating a series of regular conference calls Section leadership of all three ARRL Florida Sections for mutual aid support if requested.  Ben also wants to remind everyone DO NOT self activate or self deploy. Request for mutual aid from the counties impacted in the Northern Florida Section, must go through the proper channels in order for volunteers to be cleared to go to that disaster area.

Darrell Davis KT4WX, our Section Manager says, “Thank you to all of you who volunteered to stand by for deployment or were deployed by your local ARES/ACS organizations.  The efforts of many make the load much lighter to carry.”

This will be the last WCF Section Special Bulletin on Hurricane Michael.  will be issued at this time tomorrow unless the situation warrants a bulletin sooner.

END OF SPECIAL BULLETIN

HURRICANE MICHAEL GETTING CLOSER TO THE PANHANDLE.  WCF SECTION ARES TO REMAIN AT LEVEL 3 ACTIVATION.

As of 2000 EDT on Tuesday 10/09/18, Hurricane Michael is located about 255 miles south of of Panama City, Florida in the Florida Panhandle.  Hurricane Michael maximum sustained winds have increased to 120 miles per hour and is headed north at 12 miles per hour.  Hurricane Michael is forecast to continue its track toward the north and make landfall in the western panhandle of Florida on Wednesday afternoon.  The Florida peninsula at this time can expect some near Tropical Storm force winds near the coast in the northern counties of the West Central Florida Section.  All of the West Central Florida Section can expect periods of rain squalls as the storm moves north over the Gulf of Mexico overnight and on Wednesday.  At the present time, the only warning that is in effect for the West Central Florida Section is a Storm Surge Warning for Pasco County.  At the present time, the watches that are in effect for the West Central Florida Section is a Tropical Storm Watch for Pasco, Pinellas, Hillsborough Counties and a Storm Surge Watch for Pinellas, Hillsborough, and Manatee Counties.

As of 2000 this evening, West Central Florida Section ARES will remain at a Level 3 activation.  Level 3 activation is a standby mode, due to the activation of ARES/ACS, in one or more counties of the West Central Florida Section.  At this time, Pasco County ARES is partially activated, Hillsborough ARES/RACES anticipates partial or full activation, and Sarasota County ACS have had requests from their primary served agencies to stand by for a potential activation.  Ben Henley KI4IGX, our Section Emergency Coordinator, is coordinating a series of regular conference calls with the Emergency Coordinators in the West Central Florida Section and the Section leadership of all three ARRL Florida Sections for mutual aid support if requested.

All ARES, ACS, and CERT teams in the West Central Florida Section are requested to check their equipment and supplies in case of the need for deployment.  Ben Henley KI4IGX, our Section Emergency Coordinator, reminds all ARES/ACS personnel, particularly in the coastal counties to stay in contact with your ARES/ACS leadership and DO NOT self activate or self deploy.   Request for mutual aid from the counties impacted, particularly in the Northern Florida Section, must go through the proper channels in order for volunteers to be cleared to go to that disaster area.

The next WCF Section Special Bulletin will be issued at this time tomorrow unless the situation warrants a bulletin sooner.

END OF SPECIAL BULLETIN

HURRICANE MICHAEL HEADED FOR THE PANHANDLE.  WCF SECTION ARES TO GO TO LEVEL 3 ACTIVATION.

As of 2000 EDT on Monday 10/08/18, Hurricane Michael is located about 485 miles south of Apalachicola, Florida in the Florida Panhandle.  Hurricane Michael has maximum sustained winds of 85 miles per hour and is headed north at 12 miles per hour.  Hurricane Michael is forecast to continue its track toward the north and make landfall in the western panhandle of Florida on Wednesday afternoon and intensify to a Category 3 hurricane before making landfall.  The Florida peninsula at this time can expect some near Tropical Storm force winds near the coast in the northern counties of the West Central Florida Section.  All of the West Central Florida Section can expect periods of rain squalls as the storm moves north over the Gulf of Mexico late Tuesday and Wednesday.  At the present time, the only warning that is in effect for the West Central Florida Section is a Storm Surge Warning for Pasco County.  At the present time, the watches that are in effect for the West Central Florida Section is a Tropical Storm Watch for Pasco, Pinellas, Hillsborough, and Manatee County and a Storm Surge Watch for Pinellas, Hillsborough, and Manatee Counties.

As of 2000 this evening, West Central Florida Section ARES will go to a Level 3 activation.  Level 3 activation is a standby mode, in case of activation of ARES and or ACS, by one of our served agencies.  At this time, Pasco County ARES will partially active tomorrow at 0700, Hillsborough ARES/RACES and Sarasota County ACS have had requests from their primary served agencies to stand by for a potential activation. However that situation could change tomorrow, especially if the path of Michael unexpectedly changes course.  All ARES, ACS, and CERT teams in the West Central Florida Section are requested to check their equipment and supplies in case of the need for deployment.

The next WCF Section Special Bulletin will be issued at this time tomorrow unless the situation warrants a bulletin sooner.

END OF SPECIAL BULLETIN

FLORIDA GOVERNOR RICK SCOTT PROCLAIMS AMATEUR RADIO WEEK AND RECOGNIZES ARRL FIELD DAY.

Today, Governor Rick Scott signed a proclamation declaring the week of June 18, 2018, through June 24, 2018 as Amateur Radio Week in the State of Florida.  Governor Scott recognized the importance of the upcoming 2018 ARRL Field Day on Saturday June 23, 2018 and Sunday June 24, 2018.  Governor Scott also recognized the contribution of amateur radio to Emergency Management, the National Weather Service, and to various public service events and that these services are without charge.

For the PDF of the official proclamation go to http://arrlwcf.org/download/wcfgeneral/FloridaGovernorProclamation_AmateurRadioWeek2018.pdf.

END OF PRESS RELEASE

WCF FIELD DAY CARAVAN ITINERARY FOR FIELD DAY 2018 NOW PUBLISHED

The travel itinerary for the WCF Section Field Day Caravan 2018 Edition has just been published on the Section website at the WCF Section Field Day Caravan web page.   The itinerary was drafted on Monday 6/18/18 with all entries that were as of that time in ARRL Field Day Locator.  If your Field Day site is not listed, it is because it was registered with the ARRL Field Day Locator.  For any last minute registrations or updates, please use the Contact Form on the Section website and register/update your Field Day site at http://www.arrl.org/field-day.

The ARRL West Central Florida Section wishes all of our Field Day operations the best success on Field Day.

END OF PRESS RELEASE

SUBTROPICAL STORM ALBERTO NOW APPROACHING THE WESTERN FLORIDA PANHANDLE.  ALL WATCHES AND WARNINGS FOR THE WCF SECTION CANCELLED.  WCF SECTION ARES LEVEL 3 ACTIVATION CANCELLED.

SITUATION: At 1100 EDT, the center of Subtropical Storm Alberto was located about 50 miles south of Panama City, Florida.  The storm is moving toward the north near 8 miles per hour.  Maximum sustained winds are near 60 mph (95 km/h) with higher gusts. Little change in strength is expected before Alberto reaches the northern Gulf Coast later today.  A faster northward or north-northwestward motion is expected during the next few days. On the forecast track, the center of Alberto will cross the northern Gulf Coast in the warning area this afternoon or this evening. After landfall, the system is forecast to move well inland into the Tennessee Valley on Tuesday and into the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes region on Wednesday and Thursday.  Steady weakening is forecast after landfall, and Alberto will likely become a subtropical depression tonight or early Tuesday, and degenerate into a remnant low by Tuesday afternoon.

As of 1100 EDT, all watches and warnings had been discontinued for the entire ARRL West Central Florida Section, except for a Flood Warning for the Myakka River at Myakka State Park in Sarasota County.

IMPACTS:  Impacts to the ARRL West Central Florida Section continue to lessen as Alberto moves inland over the Florida panhandle and weakens.  The main impact to be expect for the next few days will be localized flooding caused by additional rainfall chances over the next few days

ACTION:  Due to the fact that all tropical watches and warnings are discontinued and the diminished impact from Alberto, ARRL West Central Florida ARES will stand down from the Level 3 activation and return to a non-activation status effective at 1100 EDT.  None of our ARES groups have had any requests to activate in the West Central Florida Section from any of our served agencies.

This will be the last special bulletin for Subtropical Storm Alberto unless an unanticipated turn in Alberto’s direction is taken.

END OF SPECIAL BULLETIN

SUBTROPICAL STORM ALBERTO NOW IN THE CENTRAL EASTERN GULF
ONLY WATCH AND OR WARNING ACTIVE:  TROPICAL STORM WARNING FOR COASTAL PASCO COUNTY.  ALBERTO MOVING AWAY FROM THE AREA.

SITUATION:  As of 1700 EDT, the center of Subtropical Storm Alberto was located about 165 miles west of Tampa.  The storm is moving toward the north-northwest near 12 miles per hour with maximum sustained winds at 50 miles per hour. A north-northwest motion with some decrease in forward speed is expected tonight. A north-northwestward to northward motion is expected Monday through Wednesday. On the forecast track, the center of Alberto will move over the northern Gulf of Mexico tonight and approach the northern Gulf Coast in the warning area on Monday.  According to the 1700 EDT Hurricane Local Statement issued by the NWS Office in Ruskin nearly all of the storm impacts are mostly focused on Pasco County and the counties along the coast north of Pasco County.

As of 1700 EDT, all Tropical Storm Warnings had been discontinued for the coastal counties of the ARRL West Central Florida Section, except for Pasco County, as the storm moves to the north and north-northwest.  The Flood Watch that was due to expire Monday evening was discontinued earlier this afternoon.

IMPACTS:  Impacts to the ARRL West Central Florida Section will now lessen over the next 24 hours from the wind and flooding due to excessive rain, but there is still a slight risk of tornadoes on the outer feeder bands now crossing the state as well as wind gusts from 25 to 30 mph.

ACTION:  At this time ARRL West Central Florida ARES is still at a Level 3 activation (Stand By) in case of any activation of any of our local ARES or ACS groups along the coastal counties of the West Central Florida Section.  None of our ARES groups have had any requests to activate in the West Central Florida Section from any of our served agencies.  The likelihood of ARES activation is now decreasing, due to the minimal impact that Alberto has had on the West Central Florida Section and is continuing to decrease a Alberto moves away.  Discontinuation of the Level 3 activation is nearly certain to be in the next 24 hours and once all Tropical Storm Warnings for Pasco County are discontinued, West Central Florida Section ARES will discontinue the Level 3 activation.  All ARES, ACS, and CERT personnel should check their equipment, supplies, and sources of emergency power for proper status and everyone should continue to monitor the latest advisories issued by the National Hurricane Center or by the National Weather Service Office in Ruskin.

The next scheduled WCF Section Special Bulletin will be issued tomorrow following the 1100 EDT National Hurricane Center advisory unless conditions warrant another bulletin prior to that time.

END OF SPECIAL BULLETIN

SUBTROPICAL STORM ALBERTO NOW IN THE SOUTHERN GULF
TROPICAL STORM WARNINGS FOR COASTAL PORTIONS OF WCF COUNTIES.  FLOOD WATCH FOR ALL WCF SECTION COUNTIES.

SITUATION:  As of 1700 EDT, the center of Subtropical Storm Alberto has finally emerged into the southern Gulf of Mexico about 330 miles south-southwest of Tampa Bay.  Alberto has maximum sustained winds of 40 miles per hour and is moving towards the north at 10 miles per hour and is expected to turn slightly north-northeast and then turn again slightly to the north-northwest before making projected landfall on the Alabama or western Florida panhandle coastline sometime Monday afternoon.  According to the 1700 EDT Hurricane Local Statement issued by the NWS Office in Ruskin, “Subtropical Storm Alberto is forecast to strengthen while moving northward over the Gulf of Mexico and will impact West Central and Southwest Florida tonight into Sunday night. The primary concerns at this time are storm surge flooding along the Citrus and Levy county coasts, heavy rainfall across the area causing localized flooding, and tropical storm force winds, mainly close to the coast from Tampa Bay south.”

As of 1700 EDT, the coastal portions of Charlotte, Sarasota, Manatee, Hillsborough, Pasco and all of Pinellas counties, which is all the coastal counties of the ARRL West Central Florida Section, were upgraded from Tropical Storm Watches to Tropical Storm Warnings.  A Flood Watch went into effect earlier this afternoon and will remain in effect until the evening of Monday May 28 for all counties in the ARRL West Central Florida Section.

IMPACTS:  Impacts to the ARRL West Central Florida Section include possible tropical storm force winds from coastal Hillsborough County to Charlotte, and possible flooding due to heavy rainfall for all the counties of the ARRL West Central Florida Section.

ACTION:  At this time ARRL West Central Florida ARES is going to a Level 3 activation (Stand By) in case of any activation of any of our local ARES or ACS groups along the coastal counties of the West Central Florida Section.  At this time, we are not aware of any ARES activations in the West Central Florida Section or requests for assistance from any of our served agencies.  However this could change tonight or during the day tomorrow.  All ARES, ACS, and CERT personnel should check their equipment, supplies, and sources of emergency power for proper status and everyone should continue to monitor the latest advisories issued by the National Hurricane Center or by the National Weather Service Office in Ruskin.

The next scheduled WCF Section Special Bulletin will be issued tomorrow following the 1100 EDT National Hurricane Center advisory unless conditions warrant another bulletin prior to that time.

END OF SPECIAL BULLETIN

SECTION NET CANCELLATIONS FOR MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND

The Section ARES and Information Net for Saturday May 26th at 0730 on 3940 KHz and the Section ARES and Information Net for Monday May 28th at 1930 on the NI4CE Repeater System are cancelled in observance of Memorial Day.  The Section ARES and Information Net on Saturday at 0730 on 3940 KHz will resume normal operation on Saturday June 2nd and the Section ARES and Information Net on Monday at 1930 will resume normal operation on Monday June 4th.  All other Section nets will continue to operate their normal schedules through this period.

The ARRL West Central Florida Section wishes to encourage everyone to take time to remember those in our armed forces who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the giving of their life for our country and to those who in the law enforcement community who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the giving of their life for our community.

END OF PRESS RELEASE