Nassau County ARES providing communications support to Panhandle

Nassau County Emergency Management
Contact: Martha Oberdorfer
904-548-0900 (EOC Information Center)
[email protected]
October 14, 2018 4:00 p.m.

Nassau County’s Amateur Radio Emergency Services (NCARES) team has been requested by the State’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to lend their communications networking capabilities and technological expertise to the Panhandle counties. Hurricane Michael destroyed critical infrastructure throughout several counties west of Tallahassee. Many are relying on volunteer Ham Radio operators utilizing the State Amateur Radio Network (SARnet) to relay information about structural damage, supply shortages, and requests for assistance from the Panhandle to NE Florida, where those needs can be put directly into Emergency Management’s web-based disaster information and mission request system.

As a not-for-profit entity, NCARES pays for all of its equipment and operations through donations and two annual barbeque fundraisers. NCARES members volunteer their time and resources daily to Nassau County Emergency Management staffing the County Watch Office. During disasters like Hurricane Michael, the volunteers do whatever is needed to ensure emergency messages get to where they need to go. NCARES volunteers will tow their Mobile Communications Center, joining Detective Thomas Kelley in the specially-equipped NCSO Mobile Communications Vehicle on a mission to provide emergency generator power, patching, relay, and dispatch capabilities and help repair what they can to improve public safety communication in the devastated counties.