AMATEUR RADIO PRAISED AS LIFELINE AFTER SOUTH ASIA TSUNAMI
Relief and recovery efforts in the wake of the devastating December 26 earthquake and tsunami continued in South Asia as QST went to press. The 9.0 magnitude earthquake occurred off the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Amateur Radio Society of India (ARSI) President Chandru Ramachandra, VU2RCR, was among those praising the regions Amateur Radio community.
"The combined effort from Amateur Radio operators has been appreciated by all, particularly the government of India and non-governmental organizations operating in disaster areas, Ramachandra said. "The community of Amateur Radio operators in India are united in their efforts as never before."
When the disaster hit, Andaman and Nicobar Islands VU4NRO/VU4RBI DXpedition team leader Bharathi Prasad, VU2RBI, promptly shifted the operation into emergency mode. On the air round the clock handling emergency traffic and health-and-welfare inquiries between the island and the Indian mainland, Prasad earned the nickname "Angel of the Seas" in the media. One press account said "a grateful Indian army" supported Prasads team with equipment and batteries.
Other DXpedition team members, led by Rama Mohan, VU2MYH, deployed to hard-hit Car Nicobar Island where they provided the only communication link back to the Indian mainland. Ironically, until the December National Institute of Amateur Radio-sponsored DXpedition the Indian government did not allow Amateur Radio operation from the islands. It later cleared the way for all Indian hams to operate from VU4, and additional radio amateurs from the Indian mainland traveled to the Andamans as well as to stricken Indian coastal regions. Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, provided emergency communication from remote Hutbay Island.
US amateur Charly Harpole, K4VUD, was visiting the DXpedition in Port Blair on Andaman Island when the earthquake and tsunami hit. After returning to Thailand where his wifes family lives, he helped to handle emergency traffic from HSØZCW, his station there. "Many islands were washed completely over from one side to the other," the Orlando Sentinel quoted Harpole. "Ive seen horrible, horrible destruction. Its shocking beyond the telling." MSNBC carried a five-minute live audio interview with Harpole January 3.
Radio Amateur Society of Thailand (RAST) President Mayuree Chotikul, HS1YL, called on other International Amateur Radio Union Region 3 member-societies to assist. RAST also set up an account to receive monetary contributions.
"The Thai government has appealed for donations to assist people in the devastated areas, while RAST understands that as far as Thailands communications needs are concerned, the situation is now under control," Chotikul said a few days after the tsunami. "Thai hams are helping to relay information between the affected areas along the west coast in the south to government agencies, mostly on VHF and 40 meters, as well as disseminating news and information over VHF frequencies in Bangkok."
Chotikul said EchoLink also played a role in Thailand in enabling radio amateurs to relay information to concerned friends and relatives of those vacationing along Thailands southern coastal resort areas.
The island nation of Sri Lanka also received heavy tsunami damage along coastal areas. Radio Society of Sri Lanka (RSSL) President Victor Goonetilleke, 4S7VK, declared that "uncomplicated short wave" radio had saved lives.
"Ham radio played an important part and will continue to do so," he said in an e-mail relayed to ARRL. Goonetilleke said Sri Lankas prime minister had no contact with the outside world until Amateur Radio operators stepped in. "Our control center was inside the prime ministers official house in his operational room," he recounted. "[This] will show how they valued our services."
In addition to handling emergency communication, RSSL members also were distributing food and rendering other aid. Goonetilleke said the operation was complicated by the fact that the devastation was so widespread, affecting everyone up to a mile or more inland. He called the destruction "frightening."
RSSL Secretary Kusal Epa, 4S7KE, said the disaster cut off normal telecommunication links, and society members set up a disaster relief communications network to bridge the gap. Sri Lankan hams used VHF repeaters and 40 meters for most emergency work.
Musa Suraatmadja, YBØMOS, the secretary-general of the Indonesia Amateur Radio Organization (ORARI) responded gratefully to an International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) offer to assist. "So far we can still manage," he said days after the tsunami. "Our ORARI members are amongst the first to go to the stricken areas doing emergency communication, rescue operations and other things." Northern Sumatra experienced the most casualties, with Banda Aceh receiving major damage. Hams in Indonesia set up HF emergency nets, and radio amateurs were key to keeping the lines of communication open. In some cases, hams worked in cooperation with the military.
Calcutta VHF Amateur Radio Society Assistant secretary Horey Majumdar, VU2HFR, reported that improvisation was "the name of the game" in the emergencys aftermath. "Hams had to switch to good old CW," he observed. Majumdar said hams from throughout the region were checking Indias emergency nets "and extending their fullest cooperation in the truest spirit of Amateur Radio."
AMSAT-NA put its Echo (AO-51) satellite into 9k6 bps store-and-forward mode to assist in emergency communication in the wake of the earthquaketsunami disaster.
As of press time, more than 170,000 people were estimated to have died as a result of the tsunami, about one-third of them children. QST hopes to provide additional details on Amateur Radios role in the tsunami relief in a later issue.
Copyright The American Radio Relay League, Incorporated Mar 2005
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