Helene nighttime Satellite view

Hurricane Helene:  Q.E.D.

Several decades ago, the author described radio amateurs as being “prostrate at the altar of the god baud, cowering in fear.” This tongue-in-cheek statement was intended to be both humorous and insightful, an attempt to illustrate a pervasive negativism in which many assumed that the Internet and cellular data networks were sufficiently advanced that amateur radio resources are no longer needed for emergency communications.

What a difference a few days makes! Hurricane Helene has issued a loud and clear wake-up call to the Amateur Radio community; a stark reminder that our commercial and government infrastructure is not invincible. If the widespread disruptions to cellular data networks, the power grid, and terrestrial Internet service in North Carolina and portions of Tennessee are not sufficient to bring reality into focus, then there is no future for amateur radio emergency communications.

Of course, as we bring the stark reality of these events into focus, it is also important to recognize the fact that much work needs to be done to once again be of genuine service to our communities.  For example:

  1. RRI and its partners developed the “I Am Safe” program to efficiently collect, route and deliver welfare message traffic in the event of a major disaster. This program includes multiple options from automated text message delivery to Winlink email and radiogram delivery. Yet, few local radio clubs or EmComm groups seem to be aware of this program.
  2. RRI has been sponsoring the “Neighborhood Hamwatch (Radio Watch)” and “National SOS Radio Network,” programs for quite a few years now, but these programs remain extremely underdeveloped.
  3. Far too many radio amateurs still believe that they don’t need to develop basic communications skills. Many imagine a “break glass in time of emergency” scenario in which they simply turn on the radio and start acting as an emergency communicator without prior training and regular experience operating in a net configuration and handling standardized message traffic.

Perhaps much of this is the nature of cognitive dissonance. It’s comforting to deny the harsh reality of hazards and vulnerabilities. It’s comforting to say to oneself. “it won’t happen here.” Unfortunately, denial doesn’t change reality.

Of course, radio amateurs are not the only one’s guilty of denial. There is a widening disconnect between various emergency services and relief organizations and ham radio operators. The former have difficulty foreseeing a possibility in which the Amateur Radio Service is needed. The latter fail to articulate a vision, both internally and externally, outlining the benefits of emergency communications training and preparedness.

Perhaps worst of all, many radio amateurs have drifted away from providing those value-added services that keep amateur radio visible and provide training in message formatting, nets, etc. For example, RRI has programs and methods defined for collecting weather data during significant storms, situation reporting during emergency events, and so forth, all of which are defined in the RRI National Response Plan. Yet, it remains difficult to develop a cohesive approach. Perhaps too many of us feel the need to “do our own thing” rather than seeking commonality and unity of purpose.

Lastly, there’s the unfortunate issue of politics. Far too many amateur radio organizations are more interested in power and control rather than mission success. This desire for false status deafens some to the point where they ignore the needs of their customers (emergency service and relief organizations), while meanwhile twisting cognitive dissonance to the point where they are unable to develop sufficient vision to foresee how their capabilities might be used.

In short, it’s wonderful that radio amateurs are rising to the occasion in North Carolina and other areas impacted by Hurricane Helene but imagine how much better our support of ravaged communities might be with better organization, training and unity of purpose and methods.

In the coming months, we will learn much about the role of ham radio in this recent disaster. In the meantime, however, let’s get to work building those bridges between local emergency communications groups, infrastructure providers like RRI and Winlink, and our served agency customers.