Dear TALARC members,
This is your monthly President’s Message from Marty, W9WMJ, with breaking
news about new post radio stations around the country, the coming Veteran’s
Day Special Event, and of course our monthly nets.
But our attention today is focused on the state of South Carolina and other
coastal states, and the severe and ongoing flooding following Hurricane
Joaquin. This has been described as a “1,000-year Event” by meteorologists
in South Carolina and the result is more than 100 deaths, tens of thousands
of people without power, water, and sanitation, and a terrific drain on
existing public safety resources. As we all know, Amateur Radio is already
there and will stay for the duration.
The American Legion national headquarters is already preparing grant
assistance through the National Emergency Fund (NEF). As many of you know,
the NEF is designed to provide emergency cash assistance to Legion members
who suffer loss from a natural disaster. During times of emergency, NEF
grants cover emergency food and shelter needs for Legion family members
until insurance kicks in and they can get back on their feet. You should add
NEF information and resources to your “go” kit in case of a natural disaster
in your town—information that can provide immediate relief to Legion members
you may come across. American Legion Posts that experience losses or unusual
expenses from a disaster, or while directly supporting local emergency
management agencies or public safety officials during such a disaster, may
also be eligible for grants.
See <http://www.legion.org/NEF> www.legion.org/NEF for details and stories
about ongoing emergency efforts all over the United States.
TALARC is sending a targeted informational email to all South Carolina and
North Carolina TALARC members today with information from Assistant Director
of Internal Affairs David Elmore, the national NEF coordinator. We hope
that in this way the resources of the American Legion can be placed in the
hands of the TALARC amateur radio operators on the front lines—not only for
themselves but for other Legionnaires they may come across with emergency
needs.
