Author: David

FAIRS Continues Despite Natural Disasters & COVID-19

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Over the past few years, the Island of Dominica has been hit by many uncontrollable hardships. Back in 2017, Hurricane Maria hit Dominica very impactful, leaving not only physical damage, but economic damage. Following Dave and Gaynell's last trip in January 2020, COVID-19 became prevalent internationally, causing another economic set back for Dominica, forcing many people to lose theirs jobs and businesses to shut down. Despite the restrictions following the spread of COVID-19, FAIRS still...
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FAIRS Document

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Dear FAIRS friends, Dave and I just returned from Dominica and I wanted to update you on things down there. We Flew out of Charlotte to San Juan and had to overnight there because there was only one flight into Dominica. We arrived in Dominica and Clement J73CPL met us at the airport. The flight arrived at 5:30 PM so it was beginning to get dark and we had an hour and a half drive across the Island and up to Wotten Waven. To say the roads in Dominica are "curvy" is an understatement!!! The Isla...
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FAIRS 29th trip to Dominica!

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FAIRS has been in Dominica for 22 years—time flies! Over the years we have seen so many changes down there. For many years Dominica was a British colony but in 1967 they decided they wanted to become Independent! In September 2017 Hurricane Maria hit the Island and totally devastated it. The Hurricane winds were relentless and took almost all of the "green" from the Island and left it bare. Most of the Island was without power for months and even now many areas don't have running water. The fol...
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Reaching Out to Dominica

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When Hurricane Maria's 160 mile per hour winds struck Dominica "head on" on September 18, 2017, the island was devastated. The Category 5 storm claimed lives on the Carib-bean island. Most of the trees were stripped of their leaves, and the island was left covered with downed trees and debris several feet deep. Most of the homes and buildings, including the hospital and the Prime Minister's dwelling, lost their entire roofs or the roofs were damaged. "Everything is gone," said Floyd resident Ga...
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2018 – FAIRS Works for Global GOODWILL!

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 Coordinating Relief and Care at Home and Regionally Responding after Hurricane Maria Projects and Ukrainian DX Foundation for Amateur International Radio Service, Ltd. sends many thanks for the continued support by our members and donors. Best wishes for a truly magical holiday season! In 2018# We were active at local mnctions and at special event stations & booths, and "on the air" at the ham shack located at Chantilly Farm in Floyd, VA, where our offices are now located. We want ...
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Continued Support For Dominica Following Hurricane Maria

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As months have passed since the initial destruction caused by hurricane Maria, several organizations including FAIRS are working to provide continued support. Over the last several months, FAIRS members have been delivering numerous items to the island in an attempt to improve the daily lives of those affected by the storm. Because of the lack of electricity, solar equipment has been a key in having lights and power. Solar chargers, lights, power supplies, and batteries have been delivered over ...
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Relief Efforts Following Hurricane Maria

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During the month of September, the tropical storm Maria attacked Dominica and surrounding areas with unbelievable force, effectively destroying the foliage and vegetation in the area. Nearly 90% of the homes on the island have experienced serious structural damage making many of these dwellings unsafe to live in. Dominica offers little to no electricity with incredibly limited phone service being a newer addition. Mudslides and fallen trees have blocked means of transportation making trav...
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FAIRS and Floyd United Methodist Church Collect Items for Disaster Relief in Dominica

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During the most recent trip by FAIRS directors David and Gaynell Larsen to Dominica, the couple visited a small village near the capital of the city which had several homes destroyed due to a fire that occurred the day after Christmas. Over sixty individuals were displaced and living in school rooms with all their possessions destroyed. The church collected sheets, towels, and blankets to be shipped to Dominica for the fire victims. When Gaynell told FUMC Pastor Steve Johnson about the fire i...
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2015 – 2016 Highlights

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FAIRS 2015-2016 Highlights F.A.I.R.S. guiding philosophy over the past year: To engage communities as part of the goodwill!  To follow are notes regarding the progress made by FAIRS related to goodwill works via amateur radio during the past year: Local Updates: On September 19th, 2015 a special event station for the Floyd Livestock & County Fair was held at Chantilly Farm, the new location of the event. Several operators from Floyd Amateur Radio Society (FARS) attended as wel...
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