Members of the Amateur Radio community have volunteered to assist in the ongoing recovery from Hurricane Maria, which devastated Puerto Rico and Dominica and, to a lesser extent, the U.S. Virgin Islands.  Fifty of the most accomplished U.S. radio amateurs responded within 24 hours to a call from the American Red Cross (ARC) to deploy to Puerto Rico and provide emergency communications assistance there.

ARRL's Emergency Preparedness Manager Mike Corey, KI1U, and ARRL representative to NPSTC, said this was the first time in the nearly 75-year relationship between ARRL and the ARC that such a request for assistance had been made.  "Hurricane Maria has devastated the island's communications infrastructure," Corey said.  "Without electricity and telephone, and with most of the cell sites out of service, millions of Americans are cut off from communicating.  Shelters are unable to reach local emergency services.  And, people cannot check on the welfare of their loved ones.  The situation is dire."  To learn more visit www.arrl.org.  View Governing Board member Mike Corey's Weather Channel interview.