04/21/2022 The Hawaii Amateur Radio Emergency Service¿ (ARES¿) conducted an
operational readiness drill on April 16 to evaluate their emergency
communications abilities if severe weather were to hit the state and disable
regular communications.

The exercise simulated a 4-day period of catastrophic rain and wind covering
the Hawaiian Islands, from Kauai to the Big Island, which took out power,
internet, and cell phone towers. State, local, and federal agencies
participated in the exercise to evaluate ARES members and non-members for radio
operations and procedures.

ARRL Director of Emergency Management Josh Johnston, KE5MHV, expressed that
it's important for all agencies to work together during emergencies. "It is
great to see ARES work this closely with local and state government agencies to
overcome obstacles and provide emergency communications for the public,"
Johnston said. "Hawaii faces challenges that are different than other areas,
but the general practice of preparing and exercising is the same anywhere you
go."

The Hawaii Office of Homeland Security (OHS) participated in the drill, and OHS
Administrator Frank Pace echoed the importance of all agencies working
together. "We support the statewide training of amateur radio operators as part
of the Incident Command System (ICS) structure, and the deployment of radio
stations operated by volunteers, in preparing for disaster situations," he
said.

There are 3,800 amateur radio operators in Hawaii, and OHS Statewide
Interoperability Coordinator Everett Kaneshige said that coordinating all
efforts is critical. "It is exciting to see the incorporation of innovative
technology, such as the amateur radio-developed GPS software mapping
capabilities," said Kaneshige. "Having multiple outlets for communication
during a crisis is critical."

An article about the exercise was published by KITV 4 Island News[1].

To learn more about amateur radio and ARES in Hawaii, visit
www.hamradiohawaii.com[2] or the Ham Radio Hawaii Facebook group[3].

[1] http://www.kitv.com/news/local/amateur-radio-operators-across-the-state-conduct-4-day-emergency-training-exercise/article_1ec0ddee-bdf8-11ec-a197-4f4d4582d37f.html
[2] http://www.hamradiohawaii.com/
[3] http://www.facebook.com/groups/HamRadioHawaii/

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