SHEPT Using PG&E Power Outage Notice to Improve Emergency Preparedness

Slide on the Elk River Trail in the Headwaters Forest Reserve. [Photos provided by BLM]

Landslides are a predictable component of natural disasters on the North Coast. [Photo provided by BLM]

Chair of the Southern Humboldt Emergency Preparedness Team (SHEPT) is calling out to any and all licensed HAM Operators. SHEPT Chair, Patte Rae, said the Southern Humboldt Area Radio Club, SHARC, has 50 members, but she and the fire captains know more people in the area are licensed and they want to make contact with as many of them as possible. If you are a licensed HAM operator who is not a member of SHARC, please contact Patte Rae or email SHEPT [email protected] if you are willing to be on their call list and to use your skills during a communication blackout.

Rae said in any type of event that causes all other forms of communication to drop away, HAM radios can still operate to get help if emergency medical care is needed, to let the County and others know where roads are closed and neighborhoods have become isolated, and other essential types of communication. HAM radios and licensed Operators will be a vital infrastructure asset in a natural disaster or winter storm event that closes roads or otherwise disrupts transportation as well as communication.

Rae sees the PG&E power shut off notice as a go-live exercise for a dire emergency event. It is challenging to know what may be needed when a natural disaster happens. Even as she worried about an elderly resident who relies on an electric medical device, she was feeling grateful for the opportunity to learn what more can be planned for while the weather is pleasant and the roads are open.

One thing she may learn, if the power stays off more than a day or two, is how our current communication network works, or doesn’t work, without a powered grid. She is uncertain how long cell towers will remain operational, whether internet data service to phones and devices will work or for how long.

Many cell phone companies do have backup generators at their towers, and NBC Bay Area is reporting that most cell companies are deploying plans to keep their towers operational during the extended outage that the Bay Area is also scheduled to experience.  How far those extra resources will extend is as yet unknown.

Frontier phone company has batteries for powering landlines which work for a few days before they need recharged, and Rae says Frontier has generators to charge those batteries, but she worries whether the staff time will be available to keep them charged over an extended outage.

SHEPT has been planning for the likelihood of a disaster that leads to a communication blackout. There are HAM radios at all the Southern Humboldt Schools and almost all of the fire departments. Of the 18 local fire departments, only Telegraph Ridge and Phillipsville are without radios at this time. In this preparation effort, ERT has also strongly recruited and trained HAM Operators.. And they are looking to make contact with all operators who are currently licensed and willing to help in such an emergency.

Patte sent out a text message just after she received final word that Humboldt County is scheduled to power down its grid tonight saying, “Please check on elderly and disabled neighbors. Not sure how long this will last, but I hope that we can see our weak areas from this shut off and improve in areas that will help our community….”

The following is SHEPT’s Emergency Radio Protocal:

To be used in the event of all communications down.

In the event of an emergency, please use the following protocol

All licensed operators are requested to turn to frequency 146.790

If you are unable to communicate on 146.790 go to the Pratt repeater on 146.610

A back up frequency is the Grasshopper repeater on 147.330 and 146.910 on Rainbow Ridge.

Do a check in with the net.

Responsibilities include relaying all information given to you by your neighbors and community members to the Command Post, at the CalFire Station on Alderpoint Rd. The radios will be monitored by Jack Foster, Patte Rae, Todd Barton and Lauren Schmitt. Also, any other HAM operator able to communicate on the 146.790 or 146.610 repeaters.

Your role is vital to report assessments of roads, bridges or buildings that may have damage. Most importantly is to report open or closed bridges and roads.

Your findings will go to the Eureka EOC (Emergency Operations Center) to enable them to request additional resources for our community. The more damages we report, the more likely we will be to get State and / or Federal funding for the damage repairs.

Note: if you have a scanner, you can pick up on frequencies listed.

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6 Comments
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Willie Caos-mayham
Guest
4 years ago

🕯🌳Good morning Kelley and thank you for that information.

Ernie Branscomb
Guest
4 years ago

Thank you Patte Rae and SHARC.
This is perfect test run if we ever have a real disaster. Fortunately this power outage is just a major inconvenience.

Patte Rae
Guest
Patte Rae
4 years ago

Thanks Ernie, I look forward to solutions that will come of this PSPS. Our community is very resourceful.

Miles Fromhoneydew
Guest
Miles Fromhoneydew
4 years ago

My hat’s off to SHEPT and to SHARC, for sure !
” Responsibilities [of HAM Operators ] include relaying all information given to you by your neighbors and community members …” If, in fact, we live miles from Honeydew, will we be able to communicate our local emergency needs to SHARC Operators by means of our trusty C.B. radios ?

Patte Rae
Guest
Patte Rae
4 years ago

Good day Miles Fromhoneydew, we are encouraging use of CB radios / family radio service to connect within your community. Petrolia has a great NEST program in place, that we could all benefit from using. CERT is the training that now replaces NEST.

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