Between Skype, Facebook and ever-falling cell phone rates, it’s easier and cheaper than ever for Virgin Islands residents
to stay in touch with the rest of the world. But when a natural disaster knocks out power and takes down phone lines, the Department of Disaster Management turns to a more traditional form of long-range communication: amateur radio.
“We’re on call, ready for any assistance during hurricane season,” said Collingston George, the president of the BVI Amateur Radio Club. “We have radios strategically positioned around the island: East End, West End, Road Town, on the hill.”
Residents like Mr. George, who operate amateur, or ham, radio stations as a hobby, help DDM officials communicate with their counterparts across the region during emergencies, said Jasen Penn, a communication officer at DDM who is an amateur radio operator himself.
See the Aug. 18, 2011 edition for full coverage.