Amateur Radio continues to play an important role in disaster communication.
It has a unique ability to provide radio communications independent of the telephone network or other radio services particularly in the first few days before relief agencies are at the scene and have set up for disaster telecommunications services.

Ham radio equipment can be used in disaster areas even when power is out and phone lines, relays and other communications systems are down because the radios run on their own battery or generator power. Ham radio operators can also use their equipment with laptop-based computer software to help reestablish e-mail access over the Internet to further assist with communications.

UN statement on amateur disaster communications

“One important network is sometimes overlooked: more than 2 600 000amateur stations world-wide”. In many cases provided first information about a disaster and served as the only link.

Amateurs have 2 distinct advantages:

• independence of infrastructure
• dedicated, skilled operators, able to improvise

Types of communications amateur services can provide

• Short and long-range (VHF/UHF/HF)
• Point-to-point and nets
• Terrestrial and satellite
• Voice, data, image (still and moving)
• Location/tracking