[HFpack] Communicating/Assisting in Katrina zone, comm equipment,gear, methods (Go Kits Emerg)
Repost from GAARES Web page
More on Go Kits from Alan:
——– Original Message ——–
Subject: [HFpack] Communicating/Assisting in Katrina zone, comm equipment,gear, methods (Go Kits Emerg)
Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2005 14:30:48 -0400
From: Alan Barrow
Reply-To: hfpack@yahoogroups.com
To: hfpack@yahoogroups.com
References: <20050913163809.25837.qmail@web32105.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Jim Beyer wrote:
>Note on meds. Part of the job is to not become someone who needs help!
This is the most critical aspect….. the support systems are already stressed, we are to be relief, not additional load. From food, fuel, medical, whatever!
I’m an extreme example, but here’s how I entered the zone:
- 1 ton diesel 4x4 pickup, HF with autotuner equipped, dual band VHF/UHF, 20 Miles per gallon at 55mph
- Fuel for 3000+ mile range (extreme case, but I had two 55 gallon barrels of bio diesel, plus 30 in jerry cans, plus 35 in the tank)
- small expedition grade 1st aid kit (5 day type)
- Food for a week (3 days of no cooking, longer with water boiling)
- Snacks & cold drinks while they lasted
- Water for a week plus purifying filter plus a jug of bleach plus 2 bottle of purification tablets
- Tent, cot, sleeping bag, sheets, stove, lantern (plus 2g of fuel)
- A weeks worth of clothes (longer with wearing shorts 2 days if possible, longer yet with rinsing)
- 3 body safe baby wipes, 2 clorox wipe containers. (Used the baby wipes for personal cleaning, clorox for all else)
- 3 cans of mosquito repellent
- 3 large containers of Purell (and acquired more)
- Flashlights and batteries for a couple of weeks (Wal-mart $5 LED lights work great and last forever!)
- GPS with map upload capability, plus additional handheld GPS
- laptop with ac & dc chargers, cables for data to radios, GPS, etc.
- Net logger programs, ham data xfer programs, winlink/airmail, etc
- Heavy duty raingear
Then I started thinking about radio gear, some of which I already identified. (AB Note: I used two different ARES go-kit lists to pack with, which worked out well)
- I maintained HF/VHF/UHF amateur capability in the truck the entire time, which was useful from beginning to end. (Learning- have “deployable” radio kits with antennas so you don’t strip your mobile) 40m/75m/2m for relief usage, all other bands for casual & ALE usage
- One of my stations became a primary shelter radio (Learning- drop and go radio kits)
- Did not use my HT except occasionally when in convoy
- Did not use my HF manpack gear (PRC-104, JSB-20)
- Did not use my GMRS handhelds, though others did
- Did not use my solar panels, chargers, or dual 50AH SLA batteries
- Used every VHF antenna the group had
- Most setup HF stations at the shelters
- I needed blue masking tape & clear tape
- I needed more index cards
- I needed to have labeled my gear ahead of time (some was left at shelters after I moved on)
- Complex menu radios were more likely to get bumped off frequency, strange modes, etc. You are very likely to be using someone else’s radio, an vice-versa. Keep it simple. 2nd-3rd gen dual band mobiles are ideal, with a compact switcher power supply.
While much of the support gear I did not use, I’m glad I had it. Yes, I could have bought fuel at times, but you could never tell from city to city. Nor price, it varied wildly.
Every event is different. I’d add “deployable” VHF stations, but other than that I felt I had the right gear. I could have gone lighter on some, but had I been in a different location I would have needed it. Before it was over I was carrying an additional 4 cases of MRE’s, which often got dropped off at shelters for operators, so I’d get more. “Clients” ate Salvation Army food, which was OK, but also brought the risk of disease despite excellent efforts to avoid it. (too many people crowded in tight conditions, warm moist air, etc. One sneeze and everyone has it)
I chose not to eat shelter food, which was wise because some did and became sick. I also chose not to shower at the shelters, again, a wise move as others got topical staph infections. It could have been worse! Baby wipe baths work OK, and I washed my hair occasionally by leaning over a sink. Brush your teeth with bottled water, and use purell like a maniac (My hands are ever so soft now!) The first couple of days I took 1 tablet of Lomotin proactively just to keep things settled.
It was a challenge to stay hydrated, it was warm, and when you eat MRE’s, heater meals, and other camp type food it does not contain as much water. It’s hard to drink enough bottled water. Wal-mart carbonated flavored water was a live saver.
Meals were not on a schedule, and power/protein bars were essential to hold you over. I brought two boxes. Pop-tarts got the morning started, along with Granola bars. I did not have time for coffee. We were busy enough you almost had to make yourself eat. There were very few community meals except when convoying. Usually one ate while the other operated/ran messages.
Sorry to ramble, but the point of not adding to the load is critical. Not everyone could carry this much, but other than the fuel, I don’t consider much of this optional. And the fuel allowed me to rest easy while others were sweating. I did end up carrying other’s jerry jugs, as most vehicles had one or more.
Have fun!
Alan
km4ba