Local emergency workers received a major assist from a group of volunteer radio operators during the snowstorm that covered Cherokee County this month.

The Cherokee Amateur Radio Emergency Service is a 40-member organization made up of volunteers who share severe weather and emergency information with the Cherokee County Emergency Operations Center.

The ham radio group is an "invaluable resource," according to Robby Westbrook, director of the Cherokee Sheriff's Office Division of Emergency Management.

"They did a lot for us," he said. "They started to radio in when the storm first started. That helps us to know where to deploy our resources."

County Commissioner Jim Hubbard, who works closely with the amateur radio group, said its members were a big help in the storm's first 30 hours.

"Every hour for the first 30 hours they would report back to the EOC," he said, noting they reported information such as how much snow had fallen, wind speeds and temperatures. "They gave the EOC a good overview of how hard we were getting hit."

Jim Millsap of Woodstock, emergency coordinator for Cherokee County ARES, said the group's mission is to support Westbrook and the emergency operations center staff any time a disaster happens.

"If the Internet goes down, we are able to keep things going," he said.

Millsap said amateur radio is not like the "old Morse Code days" any more.

"We can send digital messages across the world if need be," he said.

When the ice storm suddenly hit Cherokee last month at rush hour, Millsap said the group was able to provide information about bad spots on the roads. It served the same role during the floods of 2009.

Millsap said the group's coordination and partnership with Westbrook and the division of emergency management has been identified as a model for success for other counties to follow.

The Georgia State Amateur Radio Emergency Service has invited Westbrook to speak about the partnership during its annual meeting at the Public Safety Training Facility in Forsyth on Saturday.

"They are super to work with," Millsap said about Westbrook and the people in the emergency operations center.

There is no cost to become a Cherokee County Amateur Radio Emergency Communicator. For information on joining ARES, see the website at www.cherokee-ares.org.