Hurricane Relief: Requests for Information from the Public and the Press

Many individuals have loved ones in Puerto Rico and they are
understandably hopeful that Amateur Radio operators can relay messages
to them. As a result, some are contacting amateurs with requests to
pass message traffic to the island.

At the same time, individual amateurs and clubs have reported that
local press representatives have contacted them to request information
about Amateur Radio involvement in Puerto Rico. This is likely to
increase as word spreads in the national media about our activities.

For inquiries from the public, ARRL advises that these individuals
should be informed that amateurs traveling to the island to support
the American Red Cross effort will be tasked with handling outbound
traffic only. With that in mind, members of the public should access
the American Red Cross Safe and Well System online at
https://safeandwell.communityos.org/cms/index.php. Status information
from friends and relatives in Puerto Rico will be entered into the
system as it arrives from amateurs stationed there.

For press inquiries, please ask reporters to contact ARRL directly at
newsmedia@arrl.org.  A system has been established at ARRL
Headquarters to respond to press inquiries in a timely and accurate
manner.