Ham Radio 360: Hurricane Katrina with KB5WMY

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this show was produced before the re-brand to HamRadio 360.

In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast of the United States, causing immense destruction and loss of life. It was the costliest natural disaster in US history and one of the deadliest hurricanes. Recently, I had the opportunity to talk with Carl, KB5WMY, about the role of ham radio in the storm recovery efforts. Carl had volunteered in the Bossier Parish 911 center following the hurricane, and we discussed the critical communication needs during such disasters and the ways in which ham radio operators can assist in emergency situations.

This is one mans view of the job that was handled by many Amateur Radio Operators from all over the US and the World.

**KB5WMY Carl David McNair, 61, of Bossier City, LA, passed away on Monday, March 11, 2019 in Minden, LA after a long struggle with cancer.**

Many Thanks to all who participated in the rescue and recovery lending a hand to your fellow man!

EchoLink

NVIS

Listen to More from the Katrina Recovery-download this link!73, Cale/K4CDN



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6 comments

  1. I listened to the show TWICE and the power of what little part I participated in and the effect it had on so many lives is still hard to believe . With all that was against the personnel and technology of the day ,it was only through the dedicated efforts of so many involved ,working together on the radio,internet,and on the ground,that so many were saved. I am glad I got to share some of the personal side of the amazing work done by all involved.

  2. I selected do not use Echolink on the poll. The only reason however is that it does not work over satellite internet, the only option in my rural location.

    1. Did you check/ask if the connect by PROXY would work for you?,this is often used to work around firewalls by users when in motels and such…

      PLUS APPLE and ANDROID phones and tablets also work with Echo Link and may be an option for many as several friends in Australia use the cell phones to enhance their ability to communicate.

  3. Cale asked me to transfer my thoughts here from Facebook.

    My wife and I were both in the Navy back then. We both worked at helicopter squadrons who were heavily involved in the rescue effort. I was on a ship in the Atlantic gearing up for a deployment. She was on USS BATAAN and then USS IWO JIMA right in the thick of things in Louisiana and Mississippi. Strange times with a lot of heartache for a lot of people. I wasn’t licensed until the following year, but I remember reading about how amateur radio helped the efforts. It’s part of what motivated me to get my ticket when I got home from deployment.

    Great episode, Cale. You and Carl have motivated me to find a way to get involved in public service again. I did a bit of it with my old club but I moved to a new state three years ago and never found a new club. It’s time I got off my butt.

    1. Though I had limited mobility during Katrina,I was there,often that and being able to pass messages to another is enough. The small bit I did relied on others to pass word on to as many as possible to get to the target with nature and distance against it getting done,when some details began to return ,it felt good. The audio does not show that the ‘prison rescue’ victory message actually came back over 8 hours after the call went out and prior to that TWO DAYS was average return message. The hands involved BOTH ways handled the message with incredible ability and speed…when I heard of the success I was without words for many minutes as I thought of how important each link in that chain was…Carl

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