GCARES  Greene County, Ohio   Greene County Amateur Radio Emergency Service      Prepared for emergency communication when needed.

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What GCARES does!      Amateur Radio operators provide a vital communications link in the event of disasters that disrupt normal means of communications such as telephones, cell phones and police, and fire agency's radio systems. Often in the aftermath of hurricanes or tornados normal communications are destroyed and may take hours or even days to be restored. This is where ARES ham radio operators step in.      With our knowledge and flexible equipment we are able to re-establish communications between the various agencies so that they may coordinate their rescue / damage assessment operations. During such an operation, we often simply ride along with emergency personnel or are posted at strategic locations to provide the communications link. At emergency shelters, ham radio operators provide health and welfare information to needed personnel.  We are not first responders as such, but do respond at the request of civil authorities.      Many GCARES members are also Skywarn weather watch spotters, trained by the  National Weather Service, Ham Operators have been trained to spot the signs of severe weather and give real time reports to the NWS to help them determine when to issue warnings. The national hurricane watch system is also supported by Ham Radio Operators, again to provide real time reports, and health and welfare information.      Amateur radio operators were recently praised in the post-Katrina report for their efforts in  handling emergency communication after the hurricane. To read more go to the report on the White House website.