Update on Tropical Storms Laura and Marco

This is an update regarding the traffic system and tropical storms Laura and Marco.

Updated forecast cones have tropical storm Marco making landfall as a hurricane in Southeast Louisiana at 1 pm Monday, impacting the cities of New Orleans and Baton Rouge, and Mobile Alabama. Marco will then take a more westerly path to central Louisiana by 1 pm Tuesday as a tropical storm, and then moving to East Texas by 1 pm Wednesday as a tropical depression. Assuming this current forecast holds, here in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex we would experience wind and rain, but as to what extend will depend on what happens over the next couple of days.

Tropical storm Laura, according to its forecast cone, will make landfall as a hurricane in, again, Southeast Louisiana at 2 pm Wednesday and affecting the same areas as Marco. Turning north at this point, it will seemingly follow the Mississippi River, moving to the Louisiana/Alabama/Arkansas border meeting point by 2 pm Thursday.

Earlier today I met with net managers and official relay stations within the Section met to discuss these storms and how we would manage any storm-related traffic. This includes setting up additional traffic net hours should the extra capacity be warranted, and also ensuring that any traffic destined for affected areas is focused on welfare, priority, and emergency traffic, kindly asking that any routine traffic, such as general greetings, hold off while affected areas manage what is occurring in their areas. Welfare traffic into affected areas may also need to stand by while shelters or other such resources are established, especially if people are displaced from their homes.

As part of maintaining awareness and readiness, I will meet again tomorrow with net managers and official relay stations to review updated forecast cones and discuss if any changes are needed to our approach, but I feel we are in a good position and we are ready to assist with any weather-related traffic that would need to be relayed into or through our Section.

At this moment the main thing stations can do is ensure their personal preparedness supplies are ready to go, such as ensuring batteries are charged, and with Marco potentially coming in our direction, being ready to remain at home for a bit while the storm moves through the area, such as having fuel for generators available, food and other supplies on hand, and maintaining awareness on the ever-changing forecast cones for these storms.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me at k8amh@arrl.net.

73,
Aaron | K8AMH