Amateur Radio A Bright Spot During Power Loss

Amateur Radio: A Bright Spot During Power Loss The Role of Ham Radio in the 2003 Northeast Blackout Haritha Pula

The Emergency � The Northeast blackout of 2003 was a widespread power outage that occurred throughout parts of the Northeastern and Midwestern United States and the Canadian province of Ontario � Affected an estimated 10 million people in Ontario and 45 million people in eight U. S. states

The Cause � Software bug in the alarm system at a control room of the First. Energy Corporation in Ohio. � Operators were unaware of the need to re-distribute power after overloaded transmission lines hit unpruned foliage

Immediate Impact � Hardest hit were metropolitan areas like New York City, Detroit and Cleveland � Residents and commuters found themselves stranded in electricity-dependent elevators and subway or rail cars while visitors ended up stuck at airports, which were forced to shut down � With the cellular systems overloaded or out altogether, the incident turned into a test of Amateur Radio's capabilities to operate without commercial power.

Strategies to Assist � Relaying information about the blackout itself and available resources to victims � Providing backup communications to hospitals and emergency care centers � Facilitating blackout- related traffic

In Suffolk County � “It's going to show the worth of Amateur Radio…. there were people on the air immediately" - Diane Ortiz, K 2 DO, the Public Information Coordinator for NYC-Long Island � Amateurs also relayed useful information, such as which stores or filling stations were open and operating.

In Manhattan � ARES teams provided communication support for Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicles (ERVs) set up at main transportation centers in Manhattan. ARES members also accompanied ERVs on fire calls. � Amateur radio operators attached to New York City ARES provided a backup communications link to emergency shelters and hospitals. � Amateur radio repeaters were supplied with emergency power via generators and batteries and remained functional

In New Jersey � RACES activated in most Greater New York City area counties after a state of emergency was declared. Some ARES teams--including a few across the Hudson River in New Jersey--activated or remained on standby to help if called upon. � A net linked the Red Cross lead chapter's N 2 ARC in Princeton with other New Jersey ARC chapters.

In Ohio � ARES organizations in northern Ohio were activated after the power grid went down. � "ARES is handling communication support for Ohio Emergency Management in the affected cities and communities" � Ohio VHF and UHF nets and the Ohio SSB net on HF have been handling blackout-related traffic.

In Massachusetts � Bill Sexton, an Army MARS member, said his emergency power capability permitted him to check into the Northeast SHARES net and maintain e-mail contact after Berkshire County lost power.

The Aftermath � By early evening of August 15, two airports, Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, and Toronto Pearson International Airport were back in service. � Half of the affected part of Ontario had power by the morning of 15 August, though even in areas where it had come back online, some services were still disrupted or running at lower levels � By 16 August, power was fully restored in New York and Toronto

References � Lerner, Eric J. (October/November 2003). "What's wrong with the electric grid? ". The Industrial Physicist (American Institute of Physics) � Lindquist, Rick. N 1 RL (October 2003). Hams a Bright Spot during Power Blackout � The ARRL Letter Vol. 22, No. 32 August 15, 2003