Role of amateur radio in Disaster Management

Role of amateur radio in Disaster Management: the unsung heroes

Disasters, both natural or man-made, do happen. A lot more often than needed. But we as humans have evolved pretty well to cope and improvise according to these situations. But our evolution may also be a curse in disguise.

As we have grown more and more tech savvy, we also became more and more dependent on tech. So much to a point where it's literally life or death. We use it for information, navigation, communication and much more. The problem arises when we suddenly lose access to this tech.

Let's take a calamity for instance. Such as the flood that occurred in Chennai. The rains were heavy and unstoppable. Hard and unbelievable. Annoying and unfathomable. The rich and the poor were united. There are only two types of people at a time like that. You either survive... Or you die.

At times like these the basic human requirements become a luxury. We no longer take it for granted. This includes water, food, shelter and technology. As discussed before, technology is vastly prevalent in communication. So that means no more calling with a phone, TV, Internet and radio... Except, we can still use radio with a few minor adjustments.

Amateur radio is similar to traditional radio broadcasting. Except they don't use for commercial purposes. They may use for other reasons such as entertainment, recreation, education, self practice, radiosport, and finally and most importantly, communication.

We use radio waves to send and receive audio over vast distances. This audio can be Morse code or even full fledged analog sentences. But during disasters, we don't really need to have giant antennas, since these calamities usually only happen within a few districts. So we can easily use small, compact and inexpensive gear to send and receive radio messages.

At a time when disaster strikes, and communication is down. We will need to get in contact with the people in charge in various parts of the affected city. If we need to rescue stranded citizens, we can't call the search and rescue on our phone. If there is a fire, we cannot call the fire department. If there is an injury, we cannot call an ambulance. If there is a problem, we cannot just call the police. It is in these situations where we need operators who contact these different departments during an emergency.

Therefore, the government sends a call for all the amateur radio operators in the vicinity and brief on the current situation. They are then stationed on different parts of the affected city. When there is an emergency, the people can tell these operators. These operators will then contact the police or other disaster relief departments and let them know what the problem is and where to come.

Hence, these amateur radio operators are a vital link between the affected people and the authorities. They risk their lives voluntarily to go to these dangerous places from the comfort of their homes to connect the people to their required help. They are unsung heroes.