TEMA Honors Clarksville Radio Group for Tornado Help

(Nashville, November 5, 1999) - Tennessee Emergency Management Agency Director John White today honored a group of amateur radio operators for invaluable assistance during January's tornado strike in Clarksville Tennessee.

Director White presented a framed certificate, signed by Gov. Don Sundquist, to the Clarksville Amateur Transmitting Society (CATS) Emergency Services Group during a meeting in the State Emergency Operations Center.

"Communications are crucial when disaster strikes, but what do you do when the disaster knocks out communications?"  White said.  "You turn to dedicated people like the members of this group.  Almost 90 radio operators stepped in and provided - free of charge and using their own equipment - more than $55.000 worth of equipment and services.  Together they worked over 1200 hours in nine days, making it possible for first responders, volunteer organizations like the Red Cross and victims to communicate with each other.  And I can tell you where there's no communication, there's no help.

"We've said many times it's a miracle no one was killed in Clarksville that day, and I think it's fair to say the CATS group saved at lease on life. " White continued.  "I'm thinking of a disabled resident who was on oxygen and didn't have electricity to power the system.  The Red Cross got a generator for that resident, but the Red Cross wouldn't have known about the need if it hadn't been for CATS."

Amateur Radio was the only reliable means of communication for at least the first 12 hours after the tornado struck, and CATS members continued to help well after that.  They had an operator in the Montgomery County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) for the first 72 hours.  They were on board every emergency response vehicle that provided food, hot coffee and the like to first responders; without them, there would have been less area covered or some duplication or both.  Over a week later, on "Clean-up Saturday, "CATS members were still helping:  they were assigned to every work group, staging area, the Red Cross, the first aid station and the operations area at the Montgomery Plaza parking area.

CATS has a history of working with the emergency management community. "We use the Montgomery County Emergency Management office as our interface with the community."

If you would like to join this group please come to a CATS meeting on the last Thursday of the month at Maria's Wagon Wheel of 41-A. Meetings start at 6:30pm  and end no later that 9:00pm. or Contact Dan Baker/EC - N4GXE @ n4gxe@bellsouth.net.

73s and keep up the good work.