Amateurs interested in emergency preparedness flocked to the 2013 ARRL Hurricane Webinar, which was held Monday evening, July 15. A total of 410 amateurs attended, the highest attendance ever for an ARRL webinar.

Administered by ARRL Emergency Preparedness Manager Mike Corey, KI1U, attendees were given presentations on a number of topics including an overview of the 2013 hurricane season forecasts and the role of IRLP/EchoLink in disaster communication by veteran SKYWARN volunteer Rob Macedo, KD1CY; the history and current status of  the National Hurricane Center’s Amateur Radio station WX4NHC by Julio Ripoll, WD4R; a summary of Hurricane Watch Net activity by Net Manager Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, and the importance of publicizing Amateur Radio communication support by ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager Sean Kutzko, KX9X.

Among those registered was FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, KK4INZ, who posted his attendance on his Twitter feed: “Enjoyed joining other hams for training to prepare for the 2013 Hurricane Season.”

“It was great to see such a large attendance for this year’s hurricane webinar,” Corey said. “Given NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center’s forecast for an above-average season, we all need to maintain a high level of readiness to support our communities. Let’s hope it is a quiet and safe one.”

The 2013 ARRL Hurricane Webinar was recorded and will be posted to the ARRL website as soon as possible.