Communications outages filles by Indian Hams

[IK0ZCW]

Written by G0DUB for VK3PC
Monday, 13 October 2014 10:44

When the powerful Cyclone Hudhud swept into the Bay of Bengal coastal areas of India disaster authorities called on radio amateurs to help out.

National Coordinator for Disaster Communication, Jayu Bhide VU2JAU said, "In Odissa there are six hams working hard to maintain the communication covering the state. "The effect of Hudhud is now reduced and few deaths have been reported."

The media claimed that at least six deaths had occurred. That was good news for Odissa because locals feared the bad weather could be a repeat of the very severe storm Phailin in 2013. Before Hudhud with winds up to 200 km/h made landfall damaging buildings, power systems and the loss of communication in many areas, thousands of people were evacuated to shelters. While the worst of strong winds and heavy rain is over, the cyclone can still cause flash flooding and further damage. A full assessment must wait until the storm moves completely on.

Jayu VU2JAU said that active from the Bhuvaneshwar area are Preeti VU3UFX, Rajesh VU3PLP and Samir VU2AOR. In the Sambalpur area are Dilip VU2DPI who is control of a network of Shantanu VU2SIC and Pawan VU2PGU. These have been on air using 7140 MHz and have kept their stations open 24 hours a day. In the Andhra coastal area the total communication is handled by the National Institute of Amateur Radio, and is now under control.

Jayu VU2JAU from the IARU member Amateur Radio Society of India (ARSI), is monitoring emergency traffic from his home QTH in Gwalior.

Jim Linton VK3PC, Chairman IARU Region 3 Disaster Communications Committee.