Project Description: Rebuild Hurricane-Ravaged Emergency Broadcast Center

Radio Station WQRZ in Hancock County, Mississippi served as the emergency broadcast center for the entire county during Hurricane Katrina. It was the only radio station that stayed on the air during the storm at great risk to the owner and operator, Brice Phillips, earning him a Presidential award for volunteerism. The entire station eventually succumbed to the storm, was submerged in water and destroyed. We intend to make a difference by helping to get WQRZ back into a permanent, hurricane resistant structure. A team has salvaged electronics from the original station location in preparation for demolition. Make a Difference Day, Oct 28, 2006 was “Demolition Day” where team members demolished the structure. Ultimate goal of the project is to procure a half-round steel building and help re-establish the station’s emergency services so that people can be informed in the event of another emergency.

Please listen to / read these reports about Brice Philips' heroic acts:
NPR: Radio Operator Honored for Katrina Service

MSNBC: An endangered beacon - Disabled volunteers behind tiny station a lifeline for battered residents

PBS: 10/18/06 - WQRZ highlighted on PBS Bill Moyers "The Net at Risk."
Instructions for locating broadcast: Click on "WATCH THE NET AT RISK," WQRZ is highlighted 5 minutes into chapter 5 of the broadcast. go >

	The Giving Circle Vice President for Operations was interviewed by WLOX TV reporter Al Showers.  In the background is the destroyed home of radio station WQRZ producer-founder, Brice Phillips.  The Giving Circle volunteers subsequently conducted a salvage operation of material from the wreckage. See demolition pictures below.
Demolition Day:

OTHER ACTIONS FOR WQRZ/MAKE A DIFFERENCE DAY:

Petition to the FCC circulated and signed prior to and on Oct 28, urging the to continue to allow WQRZ to broadcast at 4,000 watts. The broadcast allowance is in jeopardy, and if reduced will mean the radio station’s reach will be greatly reduced, thus limiting the number of people who could be alerted in case of an emergency. read petition >