When England’s east cost was struck by a devastating flood in 1953 that claimed more than 300 lives, evacuations were hindered by a lack of effective communication. Amateur Radio volunteers filled the gap, but at the time the UK had no volunteer emergency communication corps, such as ARES in the US. Previous attempts to establish such an organization ran into governmental roadblocks, but after the East Coast Flood, RAYNET — the Radio Amateurs’ Emergency Network was inaugurated in November 1953.

Today RAYNET’s 2000 Amateur Radio members serve as the UK’s premier volunteer communication group. To advance emergency communication as well as Amateur Radio, RAYNET and the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) have a formal agreement to work together.

In a Yorkshire Post article, RAYNET Chairman Cathy Clark, G1GQJ, was quoted as saying, “With our current unpredictable climate and the high risk of failure of modern communications networks, RAYNET volunteers can make a crucial difference.” — Thanks to John Bigley, N7UR, Nevada Amateur Radio Newswire