The American Red Cross is mandated by the United States Government to prepare and respond to disasters in the United States. This includes feeding and sheltering.  At the National level, the ARRL and the American Red Cross share a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), and local ARES groups around the country play a vital role in providing communications support to facilities and units in the field.

Now it’s our turn…….

I ask for your support in helping to create an elite volunteer team of responders to support the New York City American Red Cross HQ’s on a local level.  This team would consist of ARES volunteers who would be dispatched to shelters, participate with American Red Cross “Disaster Assessment Teams, etc. within these 5 counties if called upon to do so. Please note:  NO ONE WILL EVER BE ASKED TO PLACE THEMSELVES IN HARMS WAY!  We ARE NOT First Responders.  We volunteer our expertise as communicators ONLY! … Don’t have a “Go Kit”?  If/when the need should arise, we are prepared to provide them to you!

In addition to the above, we also need a team of 4 members who would act as a kind of “Rapid Deployment Team” by reporting to the American Red Cross Emergency Operations Communications Center” to take turns (shifts) as Net Control Operators if Activated by the ARC.

This is why we do Radio…. We are ARES….This is why we all joined the Amateur Radio EMERGENCY Service!

To volunteer please contact me at KD2BQM@arrl.net