KENT COUNTY NEWS COLUMN The Kent County Chamber of Commerce Contact: Judy Reveal 410-810-2968 CHESTERTOWN, MD - As we move further and further away from Hurricane Isabel, it's hard to believe that a storm could do as much damage as this one did - and of course, it will take people months, if not years, to recoup from the this experience. As the Chamber worked with numerous organizations throughout the county, it became apparent that there are many unsung heroes and I would like to touch on one of them. When this event unfolded, WCTR 1530 AM provided information and up to the minute coverage for the citizens of Kent and Queen Anne's Counties and the surrounding area. On Wednesday, September 17, prior to the onset of the storm, Kent County Emergency Management Agency's Sue Willits was on the air to talk about hurricane preparedness and shelter locations. On Thursday, September 18 - the day Isabel hit, WCTR's morning drive program, which airs from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., reported on events as they happened. Then, on Friday morning's program, the radio station's owners Brian and Cassie Wilson remained on the air live until 9:30 a.m. to share up-to-date information about the aftermath and the damages that were coming to light. Then, throughout the day, WCTR interrupted its normal programming, when necessary, to pass along relevant information to listeners. Brian and Cassie stayed at the radio station until sign-off to make certain all available information was broadcast. FEMA updates were disseminated as well as flooding and power outages. They maintained an ongoing connection to State Highways officials to learn of area bridges that were flooded over, and they had regular discussions about flooding in Chestertown and Rock Hall as well as parts of Betterton and Crumpton. This was all done live on the air with information as it became available during the morning show as well as adding information every hour after ABC news. WCTR remained in contact with Kent Emergency Services about shelters and how many were open. Also, when they heard about distribution of dry ice from the power company, they relayed that information on the air as well as putting special messages on their telephone system for anyone calling during the hours when they are off the air. In the aftermath of the storm, WCTR began to air a series of interviews with Rock Hall Mayor Jay Jacobs, FEMA spokesman Earl Armstrong and Rock Hall Town Manager Ron Fithian. In addition, they conducted interviews with Kent County Commissioner Roy Crow and Queen Anne's County Administrator Paul Comfort about each county's response to the disaster and location of FEMA offices. WCTR joined with Peoples Bank of Kent County in its effort to raise money for hurricane victims. They met with Tom Stevenson of Peoples Bank, Mark Mumford, Clerk of Court and Suzanne Moore of Curves to discuss the formation of the fund and interviewed Mark on the air to discuss the fundraising efforts. In the first day of certificate distribution, more than $5000 was given to flood victims. In addition to donating cash to the fund, WCTR ran public service announcements about the fund every 2 hours on the air. WCTR also joined with Suzanne Moore to assist in finding hard and soft goods for flood victims. They aired that announcement every 2 hours as well and had Suzanne on twice to discuss her efforts. When they heard about people in need of children's clothing, they purchased clothing from Little Bugzz to add to its donation to flood victims. WCTR interviewed Larry Cox, Rock Hall resident and Chamber Director about the FEMA effort in Rock Hall and the number of jobs lost due to damaged businesses. They also interviewed Bernadette Van Pelt, Director of Tourism Development about how tourism-related businesses were recovering from the hurricane. Throughout the ordeal, the station continued to gather as much information as possible from Connectiv, State Highways and Kent and Queen Anne's Counties to pass on to listeners. They aired reports updating people about changes in FEMA hours and reminded them of the telephone number to file damage claims (800-621 FEMA). While there are many stories out there about how information was distributed and in what form, the work that WCTR did during this event highlights the importance of having a local radio station in our midst. The affect of having immediate updates available, and the ability to discuss problems that occur when a disaster strikes and get help to those who need it, cannot be underscored. WCTR provided an invaluable service to this community. If you don't listen to your local radio station, you should walk right over to your radio, find 1530 on the AM dial, and listen to what you've been missing. click to go to WCTR opening page |