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- QST, February 1989, page 15 =
- Hurricane Gilbert spawned far more records than simply the lowest pressure
- ever observed in a Western Hemisphere hurricane. It also saw the
- implementation of new plans of action worked out by various members of the
- Amateur Radio community. Some of the communications support plans put to
- use in this disaster had been formulated and exercised over the years, and
- some evolved spontaneously. An example of this was the operation of the
- Hurricane Watch Net on 14.325 MHz.
- First organized during Hurricane Betsy in 1965, this netowrk of radio
- amateurs has constantly been undergoing changes suitable for the times and
- technology. Some of the key players have come and gone, and others have been
- there all along. During and after each storm, they have handled things
- slightly differently, but the basic procedure has alwoys been to disseminate
- the official National Hurricane Center advisories and bulletins, to seek the
- weather reports, ground truths, in the affected areas and to provide support
- for disaster relief officials. Key to this support is the organization of
- the Dade County amateurs who man Amateur Radio equipment in the NHC, and the
- members of the Hurricane Watch Net who gather reports from affected areas and
- read teh NHC advisories to people on the net. +
-