"The Amateur Radio Emergency Service consists of licensed amateurs who have voluntarily registered their qualifications and equipment, with their local ARES leadership, for communications duty in the public service when disaster strikes."
(Quoted directly from the American Radio Relay League, who sponsors the ARES program.)
The Next In-Person meeting is set for
7pm Thursday, November 21st, 2024
at the Main Bay County E.O.C.; Room 102 at the Gulf Coast State College
( North Bay County Campus )
*700 Highway 2300, in Southport*
(Although meetings start at 7pm, the doors usually open at
6:30pm for small workgroups and socializing.)
ARES members routinely train and practice in the scope of supplemental radio Emergency Communications with their governmental and private partner agencies. In Bay County, your local ARES team works in concert with the various public service agencies who are coordinated from the primary Bay County Emergency Operations Center.
SkyWarn® is a community-oriented, weather safety program, sponsored by N.O.A.A.'s National Weather Service.
It's purpose is to train interested individuals in the mechanism for severe weather detection, observation and reporting, within their local areas. Storm Spotter weather observation reports (those which meet the established criteria for being forwarded) are then compiled by the nearest National Weather Service office and used to better inform the public of the types and locations of currently-occurring hazardous weather event(s).