The Kishwaukee Amateur Radio Club held its monthly meeting Wednesday night at Christ Community Church on Malta Road to discuss the journey of two members to Montgomery, Ala., to join the relief force for Hurricane Katrina victims in conjunction with the American Red Cross and the Amateur Radio Relay League.

President Tom Lower and member Bob Yurs leave Monday morning. They plan to be gone for seven to 10 days. They will receive and broadcast emergency communication information across multiple frequencies on 40-meter band Ham radios, they said.

The duo will typically travel to the area of most devastation, but there’s nothing typical about the situation, Lower said.

Katrina wrecked much of the area’s existing communication devices.

“Ninety-five percent of the area has no communication,” Yurs said.

Lower and Yurs each packed around $150 of non-perishable food items and supplies such as technical gear and medical kits. The club granted them both $500 for the 2,000-mile round-trip drive and other traveling expenses.

They said they will radio back to the club frequently with any updates or

technical needs but will be 100 percent self-sufficient.

They will use their own equipment, transportation and housing, as well as the organization’s equipment, Lower said.

“We’re a self-policed organization.” Lower said.

Aside from the Hurricane Katrina discussions, the board approved the membership application of Vince Adams, an electrical engineering major.

Richard Meadows, a 2004 economics graduate, said he hopes to join the club soon for public service reasons.

“The catastrophe in New Orleans motivated me,” he said

Beside emergency action, the club has been trained by the National Weather Service to spot and report the local weather.

They have also attended and broadcasted certain events such as the March of Dimes, the Cancer Walk and the Pumpkin Festival.

To join the club, visit www.kish-club.org and fill out a membership application.