‰  NOW 40 WPM  ‰  TEXT IS FROM SEPTEMBER 2007 QST  PAGES 45, 46 AND 100  ‰
NOW SUPPORTED ONLY SMOLDERING RUBBLE.  A FEELING OF DESPAIR CROSSED MY MIND
AS I WONDERED WHETHER THE RESIDENTS HAD ESCAPED THE INFERNO.  I CONTINUED
FORWARD, STOPPING HERE AND THERE TO ASSURE MYSELF THERE WERE NO REMAINING
VICTIMS.  IN ONE OF THE BACKYARDS, THERE
‰  FROM PAGE 100  ‰
F9RM/378 G0DQS/343 G3NLY/369 HA0DU/352 HB9BGV/343 I2PEI/350 I2PJA/353
NIGHT AND SLEEP DURING THE DAY, SO ANY AWAKENING TENDS TO BE RUDE.  THE
CLOCK DISPLAY READ 327 PM, SO MAYBE IT WAS TIME TO ROLL OUT OF THE SACK
AFTER ALL, BUT WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE ALARM?  SECONDS LATER I REALIZED
THAT THE PIERCING TONE WAS COMING FROM THE WEATHER RADIO.  IT SCALED UP AND
DOWN AND SOON STOPPED AS IT WAS ABOUT TO ANNOUNCE ITS WARNING.  I CLOSED MY
BLOODSHOT EYES AND FELL BACK INTO THE PILLOW, TAKING A DEEP BREATH.  AS MY
HEART RATE SLOWED TO NORMAL, I LISTENED TO THE INCOMING ALERT MESSAGE.  AN
INSTANT LATER MY PAGER BEGAN VIBRATING.  I SNATCHED IT UP AND SAW A TEXT
MESSAGE WARNING OF A SEVERE STORM CELL DEVELOPING IN NORTHERN TEXAS NEAR
WICHITA FALLS.  THE MESSAGE SAID IT WAS MOVING EAST/ NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH,
WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR TORNADOES AND HAIL.  MY FEET HIT THE FLOOR AND I
REACHED FOR MY JEANS.  RUBBING MY EYES, I HAZILY STUMBLED TO THE COMPUTER
AND MANAGED TO PULL UP THE LATEST RADAR IMAGES.  WHILE I DRAGGED A COMB
THROUGH MY HAIR, I SEARCHED FOR THAT ALL ELUSIVE STORM TRACKING SHIRT.  AS
‰  FROM PAGE 100  ‰
W8JCC/342 W8NL/335 W8PR/363 WA8JBG/337 WA8LOW/333 WA8ZDL/339 WA9USE/341
WA9YYY/335 WB8IZM/334 WD0DAN/330 WD4CBA/332 WD4FWE/338 WD8LTM/333 WF2S/333
‰  QST DE W1AW  ƒ
WHEN THE CALL GOES OUT AMATEURS IN SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA ANSWER.  BRAD PATRICK,
KE5EMF  TO PARAPHRASE THE OLD PILOTS AXIOM, THE LIFE OF AN AMATEUR RADIO
EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS EMCOMM VOLUNTEER INVOLVES HOURS OF HUMDRUM
NORMALCY, PUNCTUATED BY EPISODES OF SHEER TERROR OR AT LEAST SHEER TENSION.
FOR THE MOST PART, A VOLUNTEERS LIFE IS LIKE ANY OTHER, ONE UNREMARKABLE
DAY FLOWING INTO THE NEXT AND QUICKLY PASSING FROM MEMORY.  ON THE OTHER
HAND, THERE ARE SOME DAYS YOULL NEVER FORGET.  YOU COULD POUR INK OVER
DOZENS OF PAGES IN AN ATTEMPT TO DESCRIBE THE AMATEUR RADIO EMCOMM
LIFESTYLE.  THERE IS NO NEED TO WASTE PAPER, HOWEVER, WHEN A FEW GLIMPSES
CAN GIVE YOU A TASTE OF THIS EXCITING AND REWARDING AVOCATION.  WHAT YOU
ARE ABOUT TO READ AMOUNTS TO SNAPSHOTS OF MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCES, AND
THOSE OF OTHERS, HERE IN SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA.  SPEAK WITH VOLUNTEERS IN OTHER
AREAS OF THE COUNTRY AND YOULL DISCOVER THAT THEIR EXPERIENCES ARE MUCH THE
SAME.  A RUDE AWAKENING I AWOKE IN A PANIC WITH A SHRILL ALARM RINGING IN
MY EARS.  I SLAPPED THE ALARM CLOCK ONCE.  TWICE.  MAYBE THREE TIMES, NOT
UNDERSTANDING WHY I COULD NOT SEEM TO FIND THE SNOOZE BUTTON.  I WORK ALL
‰  FROM PAGE 100  ‰
W3BG/329 W3EV/345 W3GQ/332 W3HC/340 W4ELB/353 W4IBI/333 W4IS/331 W4MA/332
W4OGG/339 W4QC/344 W4QN/363 W4WXZ/342 W6GYM/333 W6HIB/333 W6HTC/336
W6TUR/332 W6WL/331 W7AEP/338 W7AV/336 W7FPT/335 W7TVF/349 W8GS/343
‰  END OF 40 WPM TEXT  ‰  QST DE W1AW  ƒ