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Disaster struck in South Texas early on the morning of September 15 when a 240-foot section of the Queen Isabella Causeway between South Padre Island and Port Isabel, Texas, collapsed after barges slammed into the bridge supports. The mishap sent several vehicles plummeting into the water 80 feet below and claimed 11 lives. The Texas Department of Public Safety contacted John Teer, AK5Z, to request amateur radio assistance with communications, because all phone lines between South Padre Island and the mainland had been severed. "I called around to get volunteers to place on the Island EOC and the Port Isabell EOC," Teer reports. The DPS provided boat transportation to the Island for an operator. ARRL E.C. for Cameron County ( Greg Sargent KA0ARS) contacted the ARES team in both Cameron and Hidalgo County for their assistance. "We provided 2-meter communication for government and Red Cross officials on Saturday and Sunday until landline telephone and cell phone communications could be re-established," Teer said. Participating in addition to Teer were Pat Patterson, N5SLI, Virginia Scarth, KC5SAM, Ed Scarth, W8AHU, and Greg Sargent, KA0ARS.

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