ajfortin.com

Hunkering down in Honolulu and waiting to see if Hurricane Flossie expected in a few days gives us a run for our money. The reports are that it will weaken before it hits the islands. The skies outside are still blue and beautiful. Many years ago like my father before me, I became a licensed amateur radio guy so my trusty little hand-held radio sits nearby with charged batteries. I found that in the last major event we had (an earthquake) that took out electrical power, I knew what was going on long before the TV and radio stations got their act together by tuning in to other hams (amateur radio lingo) who were connected to the emergency response service system. And during Hurricane Iniki in 1992 which hit the island of Kauai very hard, amateur radio operators played a crucial role in reestablishing emergency communications. Despite the communications takeover by Internet and cell phones, amateur radio lives on and hams are there when you need them. One thing though — Hurricane Flossie? I can’t tell you how many ridiculous images that name has deployed in my imagination.