SB SPCL @ ARL $ARLX007
ARLX007 Minnesota hams brave weather emergency

ZCZC AX07
QST de W1AW
Special Bulletin 7  ARLX007
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT  April 11, 1997
To all radio amateurs

SB SPCL ARL ARLX007
ARLX007 Minnesota hams brave weather emergency

Hams geared up to help after communities in western Minnesota faced
severe flooding this past week along the Minnesota River and in the
Red River Valley. ''To top off an already serious flooding problem, we
were faced with blizzard conditions in NW Minnesota around
Fargo/Moorhead and received as much as a foot and a half of heavy wet
snow,'' said Minnesota's SM, Randy ''Max'' Wendel, N0FKU. The upper
Mississippi River was expected toward the end of this week and work
its way southward.

Additionally, those frantically trying to save their communities from
flooding also have had to deal with high winds--as high as 60 mph in
some locations--and low temperatures. In southwestern Minnesota along
the Minnesota River Valley, several communities were evacuated.
Electricity and telephone service in the Granite Falls area was lost.
The hope is that the floodwaters will recede before the ice melts and
worsens the situation.

Wendel reports that an official statewide ARES HF net was activated
to assist the Salvation Army in Minneapolis-St Paul. The Salvation
Army is bringing in relief supplies for the Granite Falls area. ''Hams
have generally been providing some isolated communications for their
local chapters of the Salvation Army plus providing communication for
relief efforts and supplies to affected areas,'' Wendel said. A lot of
volunteers have turned out in support of sandbagging efforts. One
small area along the Minnesota River in towns of Montevideo and
Granite Falls has laid down some 400,000 sandbags in an effort to
minimize flooding in their neighborhoods. Other hams have been busy
reporting new flooding areas to the National Weather Service. An
informal ARES HF flood net was being activated each evening (5 PM
CST) on 3990 kHz to gather flood-related information.

Wendel says The Associated Press has been referred to various hams
around the state to get  reports from the Amateur Radio community.
SEC Gary Peterson, N0ZOD, was among those contacted by the AP.
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