Ham radio operators volunteering with the ARRL® Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES®) have successfully completed operations for Hurricane Francine, now a tropical storm. “We had a huge positive showing of ARES team members checking in and doing the ‘thing.’ I sincerely appreciate everyone leaning into this activation,” said Robert Hayes, KC5IMN, Section Emergency Coordinator of the ARRL Mississippi Section.
The National Hurricane Center reported at 4:00 AM on Thursday, September 12, 2024, that Hurricane Francine made landfall early Wednesday evening in Louisiana, southwest of New Orleans, as a Category 2 hurricane, before weakening to Category 1. It has now been downgraded to a tropical storm.
Currently the storm is moving inland over southeastern Louisiana with heavy rainfall spreading across Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle. Early Thursday morning, the storm was 20 miles northwest of New Orleans with maximum sustained winds of 50 miles per hour (MPH) and moving northeast toward Mississippi at 14 MPH.
At least 419,942 people were without power early Thursday morning. PowerOutage.us reported 392,440 people without power in Louisiana and 27,502 in Mississippi.
A turn toward the north-northeast and north is expected during the next day or so, with some decrease in forward speed. On the forecast track, the center of Francine will move over central and northern portions of Mississippi through early Friday.
Read more – American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources – Read More
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