ARLA/CLUSTER: ARRL ajuda com equipamentos o Guayaquil Radio Club (HC2GRC) no Equador

[João Costa > CT1FBF]

ARRL support earthquake relief in Ecuador

Some 400 pounds of Ham Aid Amateur Radio equipment left ARRL
Headquarters this week, bound for the Guayaquil Radio Club (HC2GRC) in
Ecuador

The ARRL say:
The radio gear will help to support relief and recovery efforts under
way in the wake of a magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck the South
American nation on April 16. Valued at more than $7500, the equipment
will provide reliable communication in areas where the
telecommunications infrastructure suffered damaged.

“As we’ve seen before — in Haiti and Nepal — an earthquake can cause
long-term disruptions in infrastructure,” said ARRL Emergency
Preparedness Manager Mike Corey, KI1U. “An Amateur Radio network fills
the communications gaps. It can be deployed anywhere, run on solar
power, and can function without the Internet or traditional
telecommunications infrastructure.”

Corey said the recovery process can be lengthy, and radio amateurs in
the affected area need repeaters, antennas, antenna supports, and many
other things to be able to help those disrupted by disaster. “This is
what Ham Aid is for, to enable Amateurs to effectively respond
following a disaster to help their communities through the recovery
process,” he said.

Most earthquake damage occurred in the Guayaquil (HC2) and
Portoviejo/Manta (HC4) areas. Some structures in Portoviejo and Manta
suffered severe damage, with many victims buried in the rubble of
collapsed buildings and homes. In the immediate aftermath of the
disaster, electrical power and commercial telecommunication systems
were either destroyed or disrupted, and many roads rendered impassable
because of earthquake rubble.

Read the full ARRL story at
http://www.arrl.org/news/view/arrl-ham-aid-gear-headed-to-ecuador-to-support-earthquake-relief-recovery