As an unavoidable segment of disaster preparedness and contingency planning for expected floods, Pakistan Relief together with PARS offers an exclusive capacity building /training workshop on Emergency Amateur Radio Communication this month. Amateur Radio is a reliable mean of communication in the world.
What do Amateur Radio operators do during and after disasters?
Amateur Radio operators set up and operate organized communication networks locally for governmental and emergency officials, as well as non-commercial communication for private citizens affected by the disaster. Amateur Radio operators are most likely to be active after disasters that damage regular lines of communications due to power outages and destruction of telephone, cellular and other infrastructure-dependent systems.
Amateur Radio operators have informal and formal groups to coordinate communication during emergencies. At the local level, hams may participate in local emergency organizations, or organize local “traffic nets” using VHF (very high frequencies) and UHF (ultra high frequencies).