Radio Amateurs have been active in responding to the consequences of Tropical Storm Erika as it progressed through the Carribean.

The Radio Club of Dominica were active on 7.065MHz, 3.780MHz and local repeaters working with their Nation’s Emergency Operations Centre, Civil Defence and the Dominican Red Cross collecting reports from their members around the country. The storm killed 20 people in the Dominican Republic as 200 – 300mm of rain fell in 12 hours causing flooding and mudslides. Damage assessments are ongoing in the country which was reported to have had widespread power failures.

Although the storm is officially classed as dissipated, fears over the remnants of the storm as it passes over Cuba and then nears Florida on Sunday mean that local emergency groups remain alert and other countries in the Carribean are also ready to respond if needed.

Although band conditions have been poor for the last two days, Radio Amateurs are requested to listen carefully when operating around the pubished Atlantic Hurricane frequencies to ensure that there is no interference to any emergency traffic.

Sources: César Pio Santos HR2P, Rafael Martinez HI8KW

Tropical Storm Danny moving over Puerto Rico and towards Cuba marks the first notable storm of the Atlantic Hurricane Season this year. So it is time to remind the wider Amateur Radio community that the following frequencies may be in use by nets in North and Central America to track and deal with the consequences of these severe weather events. Radio Amateurs in Region 2 play their part in gathering and distributing information for the weather and emergency services as they do every year.

Radio Amateurs in Region 1 are reminded it is possible to cause unintentional QRM to these nets so please listen carefully if operating near these frequencies:

Caribbean Emergency & Weather Nets: 7.162 & 3.815 MHz 
Eastern Caribbean Narrow Band Emergency System Net: 7.036 MHz USB (Olivia & MT63)
Caribbean Emergency: 14.185 MHz 
Republica Dominicana: 7.065 & 3.780 MHz 
Cuba: 7.045, 7.080, 7.110, and 3.740 MHz 
Central America: 7.090 & 3.750 MHz 
Nicaragua: 7.098 MHz 
Guatemala: 7.075 MHz 
Panama: 7.085 MHz 
Mexico: 7.060 & 3.690 MHz

USA: 
Maritime Mobile Service Net: 14.300 MHz 
Hurricane Watch Net: 14.325 MHz 
Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN): 14.265 MHz

Other local emergency communications groups may also activate if a hurricane approaches their area and those frequencies would be announced at the time.