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April 7, 2004 -- Members of Metro-Jackson,
Mississippi, Amateur Radio Emergency Service (MJARES) and the Jackson Amateur
Radio Club (JARC) responded Tuesday, April 6, after Amtrak's "City of New
Orleans" passenger train bound from New Orleans to Chicago derailed. One person
died and dozens were injured in the mishap, which occurred at 7 PM near the
Madison-Yazoo county line after the train had departed from Jackson with 80
passengers and crew members aboard. The accident's swampy location made access
difficult for rescue workers and other emergency personnel and also complicated
communication and logistics. Jeff Sykes, K5VU, and other JARC members responded
to a request from the Central Mississippi Chapter of the American Red Cross to
provide emergency communication. Greg King, KD5HDZ, accompanied the Red Cross
Emergency Response Vehicle as it brought water and snacks to emergency workers
at the incident command post and the Madison County Sheriff's Office respite
center in Flora. Club members Bill White, KC5WYY, and Terry Drake, KD5JPB,
staffed the JARC radio station at the Red Cross Chapter, utilizing HF as well
as the KA5SBK, W5PPB, W5PFR and N5WDG repeaters. John Jenkins, KD5QQF, and Guy
Harrell, KD5QQG, also responded to assist in the relief effort. MJARES
Assistant Emergency Coordinator Ed Jones, W5GEJ, and Central Mississippi DEC
Ron Brown, AB5WF, activated the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service on behalf
of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency. Official Relay Station Lew
King, W5LEW, stood ready to service NTS traffic and disaster wellness
inquiries. MJARES members worked well into the early morning hours of April 7
to support Red Cross relief operations, passing vital messages relating to
logistics and essential on-the-scene information. MJARES member and ARES
Emergency Coordinator Ben Jones, AC5SU, managed the amateurs' volunteer efforts
in conjunction with Red Cross staff and volunteers. "Fortunately, rescue
operations quickly turned into a cleanup effort as passengers were transported
to area hospitals and overnight accommodations," Jones said. Less than an hour
before the train wreck, SKYWARN Coordinator and MJARES AEC Billy Bob Sekul,
N5XXX, had put members on alert for severe weather at the request of the
National Weather Service. MJARES and JARC members remain on standby for SKYWARN
operations.
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