Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) volunteers from Alabama, Arkansas, and Mississippi are serving the Red Cross and at shelters throughout the affected area.
With local and parish resources stretched to the limit, ham radio volunteers have been serving as the communication link between Red Cross shelters and command centres, relaying information on the needs at each shelter back to Red Cross offices.
Primary bands in use as VHF, UHF, 7.255 MHz and 3.873 MHz LSB, with digital operation on 3.595 MHz. These frequencies should be kept clear for emergency traffic.
The Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) in Louisiana has activated, and Section Emergency Coordinator Adam Tamplain KD5LEH called for additional volunteers.
Officials described it as the worst disaster since Superstorm Sandy in 2012, which was anticipated to have cost at least $30 million, with more than 40,000 homes damaged or destroyed, leaving tens of thousands of residents displaced.
— Jim Linton VK3PC, IARU Region 3 Chairman, Disaster Communications Committee.