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Webster County is in direct contact with emergency communications in Haiti, ready and capable to relay information about the well-being of loved ones in the aftermath of the earthquake if necessary.

Volunteers with the Fort Dodge Amateur Radio Emergency Service are connected via Ham radio with the net control operators communicating directly with HAM radios being used in Haiti - especially for health and welfare traffic.

ARES Emergency Coordinator Ron Vought, of Fort Dodge, said major communication disruptions occurred from Tuesday's 7.0 magnitude earthquake west of the island nation's capital of Port-au-Prince.

Phone lines and Internet connections were down. People all over the world are still attempting to make contact with their loved ones as the death toll climbs.

Net control operators activated all over the world following the earthquake in attempts to make contact with people, Vought said.

"Right now Webster County has started an emergency traffic net based on a repeater system that covers better than a 50-mile radius," Vought said.

With the emergency traffic net, Vought and other certified Ham radio operators can relay messages from the central site in direct communication with Haiti to the appropriate person they need to contact.

Jason Smith, of Fort Dodge, a member of the Fort Dodge ARES, said he initiated communication with the main hub in Florida Tuesday night.

"We're in contact with somebody who has direct radio contact with officials in Haiti who can relay traffic," said Jason Smith, a member of the Webster County ARES. "If somebody wanted to get out and let their family know that they're OK, they could contact them. It's organized so through amateur radio, we can get the traffic where it needs to go."

As of Friday evening, no one in or with ties to the Webster County area had utilized the emergency communication service, Vought said.

However, since Webster County has logged onto the system, if the need arises, the Ham radio operators can get people in touch with whom they need to if other forms of communication aren't working.

"We monitor the traffic," Vought said. "If there is anything they need, they can call us and we can relay messages with the national traffic net."

Contact Angela Burch at (515) 573-2141 or aburch@messengernews.net