WCF SECTION SPECIAL BULLETIN #18-6: 2000 EDT – 10/10/18
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.