11/30/2018
Amateur radio volunteers provide valuable services!
In the aftermath of today's 7.0+ earthquake in Anchorage, one of our members was monitoring a KTVA 11 News live Facebook video. An individual in Arizona commented on that video's very busy comment stream about her 96 year-old mother in law who lives in Anchorage. The commenter was worried about her welfare and had not been able to reach her. Due to needs throughout the region, emergency crews were unable to commit resources to the welfare check at that time.
Using EchoLink, our Cordova amateur radio operator was able to connect to a repeater system in Anchorage and request assistance from any available Hams.
Within minutes, an Anchorage operator was on site at the elder's home, and the concerned family member in Arizona was able to listen to the welfare check on the phone as it happened.
We are happy to report that the elder was found to be well with all of her utilities and heat working just fine.
This is a perfect example of amateurs working together and using multiple modes and methods of communication to provide volunteer services to the community.
Thanks to Ham radio, one family can breathe a bit easier as they continue watching the earthquake news.
