I haven't heard anything from Ascension parish.
As a fellow Ascension Parisher, what are your plans? Are you boarding up? We are putting up our hurricanes shutters and plywood over all the exterior glass. The next 24 hours will decide whether we get a moderate storm here or a severe one. Much better for us if it passes East of NO and we get just the weaker western side of the hurricane.
here is a piece from scanbatonrouge yahoogroup:
Subject: Hurricane preparations and monitoring
With the approaching storm, many in our area are either getting out of
town or battening down the hatches. Now is the time to take care of
everything you need to do before it gets here. Once you've done
everything you can to prepare your family and home you may want to
settle in for some scanning.
During times like these you will hear lots of radio traffic. Some
things to keep an ear open for,
Local and State Police on their usual and standby (Tac) frequiencies.
Public Works/Maintiance channels. They will be busy before the storm
prepping things and then afterwards responding to many calls for
service.
and
"Public" services such as CB, FRS, GMRS and Ham Radio.
Right now I'm monitoring several bands.
I'm listening to the Iberville Sheriff's Office deputies as they are
checking with all of the area Gas stations to make sure they are ready
for the storm. I'm hearing things like, "The Tiger (truckstop) says
they just has a shipment this morning and are getting another fuel
truck in this evening." "The Chevron station owner says that he has
plenty with more on teh way tonight and should have gas as long as he
has electricity." "The Mobile says they will be out by this evening if
they don't get a truck soon." Ect..
Other public safety freqs I'm listening to include area Fire
Department page out frequencies.
Contraflow is set to begin at 4pm today and many evacuees will be
using radio to stay in touch. Monitoring CB channel 19 will get you
lots of highway information as you travel. At home I'm listening to
CB channel 9 for emergency trafic.
While CB is still an option, in the last few years many people have
purchased short range FRS radios. While at home I'll be monitoring
FRS channel 1.
On the GMRS band I'm keeping a radio tuned to the Baton Rouge GMRS
repeater at 462.675. This repeater has good range and is open to
anyone with a valid GMRS license.
The Ham radio bands are always active during storms as Hams provide
communications for relief agencies such as the Red Cross and the
Salvation Army. I'm monitoring the ham radio National 2 meter calling
freq of 146.52. If you have some of the area ham radio repeaters
programmed into your scanner you are certain to hear plenty of
traffic, from informal conversations on some machines to formal
directed nets to help with shelter operations.
I've received the following in an Email from the Ascension Amateur
Radio Club today,
" We have been activated by the Ascension OEP for the purpose of
emergency communications effective 3 p.m. Sunday August 28, 05.
Shelters will open at 5 p.m. Sunday August 28th,.
We are being called for all members, and any others that would like to
volunteer to assist in our role of providing Emergency communication's
for the Ascension OEP."
So if you live in the Ascension Parish area listen for shelter ops on
the AARC primary 2 meter repeater frequency of 147.225.
There's plenty of stuff to hear out there this weekend. Charge up your
batteries, put your emergency kit together and then sit back and
monitor the airwaves.