FEMA Administrator Calls Amateur Radio “The Last Line of Defense”

05/25/2011

In an FCC forum on earthquake communications preparedness, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate described the Amateur Radio operator as “the ultimate backup, the originators of what we call social media.” The forum-- held May 3 at FCC Headquarters in Washington, DC -- brought together officials from the White House, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the United States Geological Survey (USGS), FEMA, the FCC and the private sector. Fugate and FCC Bureau of Public Safety and Homeland Security Chief Jamie Barnett gave the opening remarks.

Later in the forum, Fugate spoke more on Amateur Radio. “During the initial communications out of Haiti, volunteers using assigned frequencies that they are allocated, their own equipment, their own money, nobody pays them, were the first ones oftentimes getting word out in the critical first hours and first days as the rest of the systems came back up,” he told the forum. “I think that there is a tendency because we have done so much to build infrastructure and resiliency in all our other systems, we have tended to dismiss that role ‘When Everything Else Fails.’ Amateur Radio oftentimes is our last line of defense.”

Fugate said that he thinks “we get so sophisticated and we have gotten so used to the reliability and resilience in our wireless and wired and our broadcast industry and all of our public safety communications, that we can never fathom that they’ll fail. They do. They have. They will. I think a strong Amateur Radio community [needs to be] plugged into these plans. Yes, most of the time they’re going be bored, because a lot of the time, there’s not a lot they’re going to be doing that other people aren’t doing with Twitter and Facebook and everything else. But when you need Amateur Radio, you really need them.”

Earthquake off Oregon Coast on Feb 13

Few people watch the USGS Earthquake website. Most Oregonians didn't know that there was a 4.3 earthquake about 200 miles west of Eugene, OR, out in the Pacific Ocean.

This is a relatively minor earthquake and small ones like this happen a dozen or so times every year. So what?

We keep our eyes on these smaller earthquakes as reminders that a big one could occur. That is why it is important to be prepared: have a plan, have an emergency and survival kit, and know what to do.

Like Haiti, a devastating earthquake can occur at any time. Be prepared!

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/us2010srad.php#details

8.0 Earthquake in South Pacific triggers tsunami warning for Oregon

According to the USGS web site, at 7am this morning an 8.0 Earthquake struck 125 miles south the Samoan Islands has triggered a tsunami warning for Oregon. Two secondary quakes of 5.6 followed the initial earthquake.

According to the NOAA Pacific Tsunami Warning Watch, the coastal regions of the Pacific were issued a tsunami warning. Oregon may see a tsunami of 15-25 cm (approximately 6-10 inches).

We will continue to monitor and update as we receive more information.