Amateur Radio Emergency Service In Wynad Landslide

Wynad Landslide is a major natural calamity which has occurred during the monsoon season with massive land slides causing washout of a small town and surrounding areas with huge loss of human lives and destruction of property. Due to the scale of the disaster, communication infrastructure in the region also suffered. Rescue operations are ongoing in full swing in the region. Yesterday amateur radio operators in Wynad including VU2OJ and VU2KNT were called upon by the district administration to provide a complementary communication network from the landslide region to the district headquarters. VU2KNT and VU2EMR proceeded to the disaster site while VU2OJ and team established control base station at the civil administration headquarters.

Several radio amateurs from different parts of the state are also participating in the communication network, both at ground zero and at the control room. Several VU origin radio amateurs, some even overseas, are on standby on EchoLink as Wynad VHF Repeater is linked to EchoLink. Radio amateurs directly participating include VU3OJO, VU3OYI, VU3MXG, VU3FGP, VU3DYG, VU3YWT and VU2JLE. As of now the official communication network has established at temporary repeater at ground zero and rescue personnel have been provided handheld radios. The temporary repeater has been linked to the repeater at the civil administration head quarters. Radio amateurs are on standy for a complementary network using Phantom Rock Wynad VHF Repeater VU2RFF. This post is a tribute to the untiring hard work being done by all rescue personnel and support from the amateur radio community.