EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS
The View from the National Hurricane Center
Most of us have heard the phrase, “When all else fails … amateur radio.” But what about before that? Do we have to wait for a “flat earth” or “dark sky” event for amateur radio to be useful? The tumultuous year 2020 gave us several opportunities for amateur radio to show that it continues to be a viable resource in emergencies.
Hurricane Season 2020
If we were to purchase this past hurricane season online, we would order size 5XL. This was the fifth year in a row for an above-normal number of tropical storms. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported a record-breaking 30 named storms, of which 13 became hurricanes with six being considered major storms (winds of 111 MPH or greater). Twelve named storms made landfall in the continental U.S. (another record).
The entire 21-name
