The ARRL reports that Amateur radio operators from Florida’s Santa Rosa, Nassau, Lake, Pinellas, and Leon Counties played an important role in supporting emergency communications efforts during and following Hurricane Isaias, helping ensure that critical communication capabilities remained available throughout the storm.
In Santa Rosa County, volunteer amateur radio operators staffed the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) and the evacuation shelter at the Milton Community Centre. These volunteers provided a communications link between the shelter and the EOC, relaying situational updates and maintaining readiness to support emergency communications should traditional systems become unavailable.
Amateur radio operators across the state also supported auxiliary communications efforts, providing additional capabilities to maintain contact with the State Emergency Operations Centre in Tallahassee if conventional communication networks experienced disruptions.
“While traditional communications systems have become significantly more reliable over the years, amateur radio continues to serve as a dependable auxiliary communications resource,” said Arc, W4CPD, Santa Rosa County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) Program Manager. “When disaster strikes, our volunteers are trained, prepared, and ready to step in wherever we’re needed. It’s another layer of resiliency that helps protect our communities.
“During tropical weather events impacting Florida, our Auxiliary Communications team provides volunteer operators to monitor amateur radio communications at the State Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee,” Arc explained. “This ensures that if someone is unable to reach emergency officials through traditional means, we have another way to receive and relay critical information. We always hope we’re not needed, but we’re glad to be there just in case when all else fails.”
In the Pacific, Tropical cyclone CHAMPI has been issued a RED label, specifically threatening Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands as a category 5 storm, with current wind speeds of 80km/h, and projected to increase to 260km/h, threatening a population of 175000 people. At the time of writing, it had not crossed Guam yet.
Capechamber.co.za says that the Western Cape Provincial Disaster Management Centre (WC: PDMC) has warned that accelerating climate variability and intensifying severe weather events are placing increasing strain on the province’s emergency infrastructure and municipal response systems.
Releasing its annual findings, the Centre highlighted that while institutional frameworks and multi-agency coordination have matured significantly, persistent capacity constraints and erratic environmental patterns demand a fundamental shift toward predictive, data-driven resilience.
Reflecting on the mounting pressures facing the region, Head of the Provincial Disaster Management Centre, Dr Colin Deiner, cautioned: “While significant progress has been made, challenges remain, particularly in relation to capacity constraints and the increasing frequency and intensity of disaster events. Addressing these challenges will require continued focus on building skills, strengthening systems, and enhancing coordination across all levels of government.”
The report’s overarching conclusion emphasises that the province is navigating an increasingly volatile environmental baseline. Summarising the year under review, the report warns: “Despite these achievements, the reporting period has also highlighted persistent and emerging challenges, particularly related to increasing climate variability, capacity constraints, and the need for enhanced data integration and interoperability. These challenges underscore the importance of sustained investment in institutional strengthening, innovation, and collaboration.”
To counter these compounding risks, the WC: PDMC has advanced several strategic interventions during the reporting period, including the development of a pioneering provincial flood hazard model in partnership with Stellenbosch University, enhanced early-warning dissemination protocols via the South African Weather Service (SAWS), and expanded municipal training initiatives.
And channelafrica.co.za says that a three-day conference on disaster risk reduction and resilience in Africa concluded on Thursday.
The meeting was organised by the African Union Commission, in collaboration with the government of Mozambique and the Southern African Development Community.
The meeting, under the theme ‘Scaling Proactive Governance and Strategic Investment for Disaster Risk Reduction and a Resilient Africa’, also brought together financial institutions, development partners, academia, civil society, and the private sector.
Daniel Chapo, Mozambican President provided the impact of the natural disasters in the continent.
“Floods, tropical cyclones, and droughts accounted for about 90% of the total damage caused by disasters in Africa. The number of occurrences increased from 602 to 738 events, which caused more than 74 000 deaths at the level of our continent.”
Chapo, spoke about the Mozambican experience.
“At the country level, we have more than 1 500 local disaster risk management committees. This is our front-line army, which warns communities in local languages, uses megaphones, and community radios, so that people can leave the danger zones before the phenomenon happens.”
The event took place at a time when Mozambique faces difficulties in accessing climate finance to respond to the impacts of extreme events, in a country highly vulnerable to climate change.
Finally WSAR in the Western Cape reports that an evening run along the Pipe Track on Table Mountain ended with a rather unusual rescue near Spring Buttress on Thursday night, after an overly enthusiastic dog discovered that not all mountain adventures are worth pursuing.
The dog and his owner were enjoying an afternoon run when the pup spotted a tahr (which is a mountain goat) and decided that a chase was simply too good an opportunity to pass up.
Unfortunately, the tahr had a distinct home-ground advantage.
The agile mountain resident disappeared down the steep mountainside, with the determined hound in hot pursuit. Almost 80 metres below the trail, the dog suddenly realised that his four-legged opponent was considerably better equipped for the terrain, and that the chase was well and truly over.
There was, however, one small problem. Getting down had been considerably easier than getting back up!
The dog’s owner followed a short distance down the slope before wisely deciding against going any further.
Spotting his adventurous companion stranded on a small ledge below a cliff, he called the emergency number – 021 937 0300, for assistance.
A small team of Wilderness Search and Rescue (WSAR) rescuers was deployed to the scene.
Using a rope system, a rescuer was lowered to the ledge, where the stranded hound was happily secured inside a rope bag and hoisted back up to the trail.
The operation was successfully concluded at 22h45 on Thursday evening, with everyone safely back on the trail.
While the tahr presumably continued about its evening entirely unaware of the excitement, we suspect one adventurous hound may think twice before challenging a mountain goat to another downhill race!
A big thank you is extended to the rescuers who gave up their Thursday evening to bring this adventurous pup safely back to his owner.
It doesn’t say so in the report, but I’ll take a small bet with anyone that was a Jack Russell!
Written versions of this bulletin will be available after the transmitted version, on the SARL website and on the “About the SARL” menu > SARL HAMNET > scroll down to WEBSITE and click on HAMNET Emergency Communications. It is also available on two facebook pages, namely “HAMNET – SOUTH AFRICAN RADIO LEAGUE”, or “SARL Hamnet”
This is Dave Reece ZS1DFR reporting for HAMNET in South Africa.