List of Major National and International Disasters in Which Radio Amateur Provided Emergency Communications
Amateur radio operators are helping their communities every week in local emergencies which never make national or international news. Additionally hams are helping provide communications during parades, marathons, rallies..... Keep in mind, the list below only has major events. 2007 October - Southern California Wildfires. 2005 Hurricane Rita. Hurricane Katrina. Tsunami - Indonesia, India. 2004 Series of four hurricanes in Florida 2003 August - Northeast Blackout. May - Series of Midwest Tornadoes. February - Space Shuttle Columbia recovery. 2002 June - Colorado wildfires. April - Maryland tornado. March - Kentucky flooding. 2001 September - "9/11" Terrorist attacks; World Trade Center in New York City, New York, and Pentagon in Washington D.C. June - Texas and Louisianan flooding after Tropical Storm Allison. January - Gujarat, India, Great Quake. January - El Salvador earthquake. 2000 December - Southwest U.S. Ice Storms. December - Alabama Tornado. March - Alaska Avalanche. May - Los Alamintos, New Mexico Firestorms. 1999 September - Hurricane Floyd. 1998 October - Texas Flooding. September - Hurricane Georges. February - Florida Tornadoes. 1997 April - Grand Forks, North Dakota to East Grand Fork, Minnesota 500 Year Flood. January - Western U.S. Floods. 1995 April - Okalahoma City Bombing. 1980 March. Mt. St. Helens volcano explodes in Washington. Jerry Martin, W6TQF, and Reid Blackburn, KA7AMF were manning scientific observations posts for the Washington Radio Amateur Emergency Service died when an eruption from 10 miles away buried them in boiling ash. Please click on the page honoring these two fine hams. Earlier History First report instance of hams doing emergency communications was in April 1921 when amateur radio operators at the University of Michigan and Ohio State University passed emergency traffic during severe regional windstorm and flooding. For a review see Gil McElroy, VE3PKD's 2007 article in Sept., QST article "QRR: The Beginnings of Amateur Radio Emergency Communications, pages 48-50. |
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