As Hurricanes Disrupt Phones, Amateur Radio Comes In Clear

Visual: CRobertson/iStock via Getty Images

The morning after Hurricane Helene pummeled the eastern seaboard of the U.S., Thomas Witherspoon inspected the damage to his western North Carolina home. The night before, he listened to the wind whip down trees and snap power lines along the two-mile access road connecting his family to their few neighbors in Buncombe County.

Like the tens of thousands of other North Carolina residents, the power to Witherspoon’s neighborhood was completely out. It was impossible to communicate with the house down the road, let alone anyone several miles away. Unable to send text messages or make phone calls, radio became the one form of communication left in rural North Carolina. After fixing what he could on his own property, Witherspoon, a lifelong amateur radio enthusiast, began distributing handheld radios to his neighbors.

“Amateur radio is one of those things you get into because of your love of radio communications and the technical aspects of it or the community and the challenges that you can overcome,” Witherspoon said. “It’s a lot of fun, but underlying all of that is this prime directive with amateur radio that it’s always there as emergency communications when all else fails.”

Other amateur radio enthusiasts have helped out as well. Two weeks ago, operators fielded requests for medications, like insulin, and announced when grocery stores, like Sam’s Club, reopened. Most of the messages were to let friends and family know that they’re OK.

“Mom, your son is OK. No phone service. Happy birthday,” one caller asked an operator to send his mother during a livestream of the broadcast.

After fixing what he could on his own property, Thomas Witherspoon, a lifelong amateur radio enthusiast, began distributing handheld radios to his neighbors.

Hurricanes have wreaked havoc on the United States over the past month. More than 200 people have been confirmed dead as a result of Helene and many more have gone missing, making it the most destructive U.S. hurricane since Katrina in 2005. Nearly a week after Helene made landfall, cell service dead zones plagued the Carolinas, leaving thousands of residents unable to reach their friends, families, and even emergency responders. As Hurricane Milton built in the Gulf of Mexico last week, radio operators in Florida were also preparing to launch their net — a group of operators communicating live over the air. Scott Roberts, an amateur radio section manager for northern Florida, said that operators in his area started checking their equipment and making plans to deploy to shelters as of last Monday.

There are more than 1 million licensed radio amateurs in the U.S. like Witherspoon and Roberts, according to a Federal Communications Commission spokesperson. Some amateur radio bands are short bands, reaching only small communities of people, while others cover hundreds and even thousands of miles. When communication infrastructure fails, like cellular networks during a natural disaster, the FCC allows for amateur radio operators to assist in recovery efforts.

Gordon Mooneyhan, spokesperson for the American Radio Relay League, said he knows of three main repeaters being used to convey messages inside the disaster area from Hurricane Helene, including the Mt. Mitchell Repeater, which is located at the highest point in North Carolina at 6,600 feet and boosts localized radio broadcasts to a wider network. This is where Witherspoon read off supply requests and road closures.

Messages are sent digitally using what is essentially a modem, linking a computer to the radio and turning the messages into a form of high-speed morse code with the Winlink Global Radio Email system.

“You type the message, and it will automatically calculate the word count and send it to the next station,” said Mooneyhan. “The next station automatically sends back what the word count is supposed to be, so it’s all verified and there aren’t any errors.”

Whether a message out of the disaster zone is bound for a neighboring state or a family member in Asia, there are operators everywhere capable of getting it where it needs to go.

“You wanna go to Texas? They’ll find a net that’s taking traffic to Texas, sign in, relay the message, and deliver it,” said Mooneyhan.

As of last Monday, telecommunications companies were still putting up temporary towers to restore cell phone connectivity in North Carolina. AT&T and T-Mobile had deployed mobile units where residents could drive to connect their phones to Wi-Fi and send messages. For many residents, the simplest method of reaching a loved one was speaking into a handheld radio.

When communication infrastructure fails, the FCC allows for amateur radio operators to assist in recovery efforts.

As Hurricane Milton grew into a category 5 storm last Monday, amateur radio operators in Florida were already preparing to respond if the state’s communications infrastructure fails.

“Florida amateur radio operators are perfectly equipped to handle Hurricane Milton, even just after Hurricane Helene,” said Josh Johnston, the director of emergency management for the Amateur Radio Emergency Service. “They have the systems in place and have a well-refined action plan in each county, as well as at the state level. They’re quite accustomed to busy storm seasons, and ready to provide critical information to served agencies as Milton comes through.”

“It’s not as nice as getting a phone call from a loved one,” said Mooneyhan, “but if you’re in an area where the cell service and land lines are totally disrupted, a message saying ‘I’m OK, everyone’s fine, don’t worry,’ that beats the heck out of not knowing.”

Makena Kelly is a senior writer at WIRED focused on the intersection of politics, power, and technology.

Dell Cameron is an investigative reporter from Texas covering privacy and national security.