On July 30, representatives from the ARRL Southeastern Division and Georgia Section participated in the FEMA Region IV, Regional Emergency Communications Coordination (RECC) Working Group meetings near Atlanta. Southeastern Division Director Greg Sarratt, W4OZK; Georgia Section Manager, Susan Swiderski, AF4FO, and Georgia Section Official Observer Coordinator Michael Swiderski, K4HBI, represented ARRL and Amateur Radio.

In the meetings, Sarratt talked about ARRL, ARES, Amateur Radio and their value to FEMA, while Susan Swiderski gave a talk on MARS. "We are proud to be a part of FEMA's RECC," Sarratt said. "This will help to enhance FEMA and ARRL's working partnership. It is very beneficial to meet any of the communications leadership of FEMA and other agencies in the region. These meetings, coordination and learning about each other are critical elements before the disaster strikes. I was also very happy to meet several Amateur Radio operators attending the meeting in their professional capacity."

Headquartered in Atlanta, FEMA's Region IV territory includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Region IV is FEMA's largest geographic region and the most common challenges are tornados, hurricanes and other storms that can cause flooding and flash flooding. -- Thanks to Greg Sarratt, W4OZK