This is the SATERN website of Concord, CA.
About SATERN History
This page gives a brief history of the world-wide SATERN project.
SATERN was started in June, 1988 in central Illinois by Captain Patrick McPherson (of EDS and Salvation Army).
SATERN's first network consisted of Pat, EDS volunteer Arthur Evans and two Canadian Salvationists.
At this point, one could ask, "Why didn't Captain Pat just increase his effort with the EDS (Emergency Disaster
Services) program?" Is that because he wanted to include Canadians from the beginning, and EDS was already
an established and funded group operating only in the United States?
Two months after its inception, SATERN's first international response occurs. Hurricane Gilbert batters the Caribbean
for nine days, killing 341 people. Pat and Art work with radio operators in Atlanta and Jamaica to relay information.
An F5 tornado hits Plainfield, Ill. in 1990, killing 29 people and causing $200 million in damages. The network requires
64 operators daily for 11 days. Other operators get on the air to help the SATERN volunteers. In 1993 a thousand miles
of Mississippi River flooding require a multi-state SATERN network. The SATERN website is launched thanks to a
member's grandson.
In 1994 SATERN responds to the American Eagle airline crash in Indiana; 68 lives are claimed. A SATERN operator and
canteen are sent to earthquake-stricken Kobe, Japan. Measuring 6.9, the quake is among Japan's most devastating: 5,500
are dead, 26,000 injured. In 1997 SATERN responds to the extensive Grand Forks flooding in North Dakota and Minnesota.
After Hurricane Mitch in 1998, SATERN is named an official Salvation Army program and receives funding. Major Patrick
McPherson is officially appointed national director.
... (Many other stories are listed within SATERN's complete history.)
In 2007 the Department of Homeland Security assigns call signs to three SATERN members: Major Patrick McPherson,
Dick Montgomery and Joseph Fratto. With a membership of 3,800 trained operators, SATERN stands ready at a moment's
notice to serve The Salvation Army and the world. Over 40 net meetings are held weekly, along with frequent training
classes, which are listened to by thousands more around the globe.
Each local site has its own special focus, usually made of the people there who volunteer services.
Is SATERN only a United States organization?
In what other English-speaking countries is SATERN active?