Memorial Day Tornado Outbreak 2019

1. Memorial Day Tornado Outbreak 2019 1 dead Numerous injuries Major damage to several cities

2. It’s coming – the preparation • ARES was in the process of an increasing partnership with the Ohio EMA “Watch Desk” • (More on that later) • In addition to NWS watch and forecaster text messages, the Watch Desk alerted us to incoming weather from Indiana • Using email lists and our online event management program, we sent emails to all county Emergency Coordinators and over 1100 amateur operators- a “Heads Up!” message • Throughout the area, local “Skywarn” weather watch nets activated and scanned the skies for problems.

3. It’s coming – the preparation • As it is playing out, messages are received via email, text, and radio • At the beginning, there was no way to know how bad it would become

4. Memorial Day Tornado Outbreak • First word- Celina From District 3 EC Fred Stone, W8LLY, in the Dayton area: Celina reported hit very hard with considerable damage and some injuries—no details on damages. Storm intensified across Darke, Miami and northern Preble, Montgomery and Green counties (primarily north of US-35) with several reports of tornadoes on ground, some funnels sighted bouncing in and out of clouds.  Sketchy reports that Darke and Miami had damages—no details. Dayton Section Skywarn reported details to Wilmington as quickly as received.  Wilmington NWS probably best source for more complete detailed report.  WPAFB and WSU reported damages.  Several thousand reports of loss of power and power lines down in above counties. Weather has moved out of D3; Dayton Section Skywarn secured around 0110ET 28May2019.

5. Memorial Day Tornado Outbreak • From Montgomery Co: From Rob Flory, KA5RUC, Montgomery Co. EC Per Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management, they do not  foresee the need for any ARES activation at this time.   All assets needed are being handled through normal channels.  MCOEM EMCOMM (who are also ARES members) are at the EOC  and are keeping me apprised. I have not touched base with the Red Cross to see what there needs are.

6. Memorial Day Tornado Outbreak • From Miami Co: From David Stein. KC9NVP, Miami Co. EC Miami County just completed the preliminary assessment of damage and destroyed  homes.  We have several homes destroyed and many with roof damage from wind and trees for the County EMA.  I currently do not have actual numbers of homes damaged or destroyed.  Six survey teams were sent to the southwest corner of Miami County.

7. Memorial Day Tornado Outbreak • From Champaign Co: From Dave Youtz, WB8UCD, Champaign Co. EC I am in conference with our EMA director Jim Freeman right now.  There have been no reports of tornado touch-downs or any significant damage from last night's very active storm events in Champaign county. Any power outages were minor and short in duration. We conducted a Severe Weather Net on the 147.375 Urbana repeater from 10:15 PM - 12:23 AM. The W8OK Wx net on 146.640 was continuously monitored. Due to the volume of reports and activity being handled (the result of multiple tornadoes in that area) and the lack of any significant reports from our net, we did not contact W8OK during this event. 

8. Memorial Day Tornado Outbreak • From Wilmington NWS Darke Co 10:16 New Madison Poles Down   Preble and  ?? New Paris ?? Ohio 121 & 76 Center of New Madison South Side of intersection Building with doors pulled off ¼ hail Village of Gordon West Dayton  Ham KE8CAO  at Jordan  & Englewood, Looking North West Sees Funnel Cloud and Power lines popping 1054  Tornado Little Richmond Trotwood 10:58 S Trotwood Tornado Cloud Still on ground 11:19 Wagner Ford and North Dixie Dr. - Tornado on the ground Funnel Cloud 11:20  North Dixie  & Ridge Ave  Trees down Power line Down, Structure Damage 11:30  ¼ hail Huber Heights Kittredge Funnel Cloud  New Germany and  675  11:25   at 11:24  ¼ hail Smithville and Watervliet 11:30  11:19  Vainwych Av 11:32 Yellow Spring  Golf Ball Size hail 11:34 Cedarville Golf Ball Size hail  11:38 Dime hail Tip City at   571 and I75 11:51 East Meadowbrook & RangeviewDr, Tress and Power lines down Building Damage 11:52 Cedarville,  Weimer & Barber Rd  Tress and Power lines down  Damage

9. Memorial Day Tornado Outbreak From Wilmington Fairfield Co 12:01, West of Lancaster   33 south of 22 Funnel Cloud  12:19 Laura Shiloh Rd from 368 to 3580 Trees down, Green Co  12:21    Wilberforce   Funnel Cloud  12:23  1128 Ludlow Rd porch off house 12:31 Bloomingburg ,  Dear Creek State Park   Funnel Cloud  12:48 6-8" water over 75ft of roadway, Fishworm Rd and US 42, Cedarville, Greene County Miami Co   Between Laura and Ludlow 3660 Getmer Rd,  Barn Destroyed 3760 Elleman Rd,  House Destroyed Fredric Rd House Destroyed 01:03  Circleville Walnut & Pittsburg , Love truck Stop  Semi turned over 01:04 Beavercreek  4057 Rushton Rd  House half of Roof Gone

10. 21 CONFIRMED Auglaize UniopolisEF0 Auglaize West of Wapakoneta EF1 Auglaize Waynesfield EF0 Darke South of Hollansburg EF1 Darke New Madison EF1 Darke/Miami West Milton EF3 Greene Jamestown EF1 Greene Jamestown EF2 Hardin Between Belle Center and Kenton EF0 Hocking Near Laurelville EF2 Mercer Celina EF3 Miami South of Troy EF0 Miami Elizabeth Township EF0 Montgomery Trotwood EF4 Montgomery South of Vandalia EF2 Montgomery/Greene Beavercreek EF3 Montgomery/Miami Near Phillipsburg EF0 Perry/Muskingum Roseville EF1 Pickaway South of Circleville EF0 Pickaway South of TarltonEF1 Vinton Near ZaleskiEF0

11. 21 Confirmed

12. The Ohio ARES “Watch Desk” Project What is the Watch Desk? • Room off the main EOC floor manned 24/7 • Charged with “ESF-5” duties: intel • Quest is to obtain as much information as possible • Can alert any one up to all EMA functions • (Ohio as home rule state- local EMA is in charge) • Watch Desk can prepare resources anticipating the request to assist with a situation • They’re interested in amateur radio operators who can provide situational awareness and reports

13. The Ohio ARES “Watch Desk” Project • Brought on after Shelby tornado strike • Amateur radio monitored brought more, faster reports than their systems • Meeting with Ohio EMA Auxcomm Team W8SGT - Watch Desk needs more intel for their ESF-5 function • We went to work figuring out just how to do that

14. The Ohio ARES “Watch Desk” Project • Amateur radio requirements: • Need early alerting for ARES • Need statewide alerting for amateur radio • Need a dependable multi-level statewide net • Need a path for information flow to WD • Need to reinforce that we DO NOT want to take over Skywarn- it is a ~local~ program of weather spotting • Need to obtain information upstream from Indiana

15. The Ohio ARES “Watch Desk” Project • Components we have • WebEOC for input to WD • Computer event management software used by most counties and the state EMA for sharing information; ARES has a login to the program • HF nets (SSB/Digital) but of no use during storms • Normal HF allows comms around the state • HF frequencies are victim to storm static and lightning crashes • DMR “Ohio” channel worked in two trials • Snow net • (Where storm info was fed to Watch Desk) • Shelby strike • (Where a wide regional response was coordinated over the DMR digital system)

16. The Ohio ARES “Watch Desk” Project • Components we need • Dependable statewide network • DMR “Ohio” most likely • DMR as a new system- bugs not worked out • Survey taken of 50 owners; 20 responded • Nearly unanimous support for ARES use • Over 60% support “Ohio” talk group use • Other systems? • Echolink, regional RF repeater linking, etc. a possibility

17. The Ohio ARES “Watch Desk” Project • Components we have • We have added Indiana WX DMR group for upstream • Will test reliability and viability in future storms • We have a means to activate hams in Ohio • EC email list – around 2,000 ARES “management” • ARES Connect: 1100 hams with 1 email, arrives in minutes • We are Instituting a text-message alerting system • Taking subscriptions now from county EC level • Will instantly send a text message

18. The Ohio ARES “Watch Desk” Project • Components we have • We have access to WebEOC for ESF- 5 • Leaders have been placed on internal alerting groups • Ohio SEC has access to “NWS Chat” boards • Additional intel available • Not used extensively by agencies, media is all over it • Good for direct questioning of NWS offices

19. The Ohio ARES “Watch Desk” Project • Components we have • We can update Ohio Section Emergency Response Plan (OSERP) to the following process– • Alerts come out to all to be ready to send info • Understood that W8SGT (The Sarge) station will be “LISTEN ONLY” on Ohio, HF • Any events meeting severe criteria • First report to local Skywarn • Liaison station (hopefully at county EOC) should relay to Sarge • Only major events would require NCS ‘traffic control’

20. The Ohio ARES “Watch Desk” Project • Components we have • OSERP – • Most events handled at home stations by those on call • Events making the “big time” will require Auxcomm Team response to Ohio EOC

21. The Ohio ARES “Watch Desk” Project • What we ~did~… Trial by Fire • Alert from ESF-5 / NWS tornado watch • SEC: email to EC list, Connect list with ‘heads up’ • Auxcomm leaders: determine response if needed • This prior to contact with IN; no upstream other than radar coverage, reports • Looked ~really~ bad • Question to Wilmington- will these hold up in Ohio (after 9PM) Answer: Tornadoes will move across Ohio. Definitive response called for.

22. The Ohio ARES “Watch Desk” Project • What we ~did~… Trial by Fire • Alerted hams to DMR “Ohio” monitoring • At Celina, the first word of tornadoes • Richard KD8PHG, moves to OH EOC, radios • When he gets there, Stan, N8BHL, responds to OH EOC • Numerous preliminary reports going on

23. The Ohio ARES “Watch Desk” Project • What we ~did~… Trial by Fire • Launched Sarge, continued to receive some reports on Ohio talk group • Immediate atmospheric problems • MAJOR De-sense created by storm noise • Could barely get out of town on our big beams • No hope for direct contact with Dayton • Had never seen it this bad before

24. The Ohio ARES “Watch Desk” Project • What we ~did~… Trial by Fire • Sarge received intel • Stan leaves at 3 to return by 8 • Richard stays on overnight • Lots of intel went into the state system • Good in-person interaction with WD staff (all-hands call-in) • 8AM OH EOC standup • Special recognition to ODOT and ARES for working overnight, major assistance 

25. The Ohio ARES “Watch Desk” Project • What we ~did~… Trial by Fire • By Tuesday afternoon, Information began to slow. Continued to enter what we received. • Major “oops” – we go dead to DMR • Radio got fumbled off repeater mode • Some HF was used, Ohio Digital Emergency Network (OHDEN) was monitoring but not active. • Would have been able to transmit forms if needed • Bear in mind, existing agency frontline systems held, there was no “communications” fault

26. The Ohio ARES “Watch Desk” Project • What we ~did~… Trial by Fire • By 9 Tuesday evening, broke up ops and went home. Back at 8 Wednesday AM • Primary mission at this time was “Face time” and exposure- it was worth gold for the EOC staff to see us there and working. • Throughout the event: • Continual updates to ARRL E-letter, emergency desk • Participate in newly formed “JIC for ARRL” conference call

27. The Ohio ARES “Watch Desk” Project • What we ~did~… Trial by Fire • After the event • More followup with ARRL • Invitation for article on October schedule for CQ Magazine: multi-disciplines for ESF-5 • New relationship with Indiana SEC / weather • Unprecedented accolades from agencies (OH EOC)

28. The Ohio ARES “Watch Desk” Project • What we can do now • After the event: • Formalize our existing plan • Add additional networks: • Fusion link • Regional RF links • Added numerous DMR talk groups for regions • Maintain the new plan and use as needed

29. The Ohio ARES “Watch Desk” Project • 31391  NEOH • 31392  WXOH (Also NW OH??) • 31393  SEOH • 31394  SWOH • 31395  ARES We don’t control this, but possible use • 31399  OHYSF  Fusion link to a number of mostly central Ohio machines • 313920 MNFD  Group of N Central OH repeaters • 3118    IN State talk group • 31183  INWX  Indiana Weather (This is our upstream) • 3126    MI • 3121    KY • 3142    PA • 3154    WV • - We also have FEMA Region 5 private talk group installed -

30. At The Sarge Richard Wynkoop, KD8PHG, Mark Griggs, KB8YMN, and Terry Holdren, KD8YFW 

31. At The Sarge Richard Wynkoop, KD8PHG, Stan Broadway N8BHL wearing ESF-2 uniforms at the Sarge

32. At The Sarge In full operation for tornado outbreak

33. At The Sarge In full operation for tornado outbreak