Hurricane Irma
CB Radio in a Crisis & Prepping
When I mention that one of my hobbies is CB Radio I often
get a funny look or comments about it and I often concede that in the
‘connected’ world of the 21st century, the attraction of 2 way radio
may seem a little outdated.
With news reaching these shores of Hurricane Irma and more
alarmingly the events in North Korea it does make me wonder about what happens
to a world faced with such crisis’s.
In the modern world we live a comfortable life, surrounded
by our electronic devices and all kinds of services available at the flick of a
switch but what happens if we were suddenly cut off from these seemingly basic
amenities.
When a hurricane hits, or worse still a bomb was to be
dropped. How would we cope? What essentials would we wish we had at hand
and how would we be able to communicate with our loved ones and friends to
check if they were ok? If our mobile
phones stopped working, how would we get the latest weather reports or news?
In these types of situations, that’s exactly what
happens. Mobile signals will fail since
the radio towers needed to service them would be affected. Electricity would be cut off especially if
water levels rise and our ability to connect with the outside world would be
terminated.
We have seen in previous crises how the ability of HAM Radio
enthusiasts to remain ‘in contact’ has helped get important information between
victims and the emergency services and how up to date reports can be sent to
different locations in such an event.
So faced with a situation where you have no power, no
running water, no internet and no mobile signal, what would you do?
Preppers around the world have talked for years about the
benefits of short range radios in their arsenal of tools to help people overcome
the collapse of society and when headlines such as we have seen in the news
this week rage across the world does it not make you think twice about how you
would cope? How could you protect your
family? How could you get access to
appropriate resources like food and drinking water?
So before you scoff at the trusty old CB Radio, first
understand that cheap old rig that you have stuffed in your loft and probably
has not seen daylight in over thirty years could be one of the most valuable
tools in your fight to stay alive in such a situation.
No phone Signal
So either you can’t get phone reception or after a prolonged
period your phone battery dies. If you
have access to a car battery you would have the means to power a radio. If you are able to run the car to keep the
battery topped up then you could last for days or possibly weeks.
Weather Reports
The most modern radios come with a full range of weather
stations preprogramed so even if you can’t turn on the TV to see what’s coming
you would still have some way of knowing if your situation was likely to
improve or worsen by listening to the weather reports
Remain Mobile
If you need to evacuate an area either prior to or after
such a disaster the CB Radio is portable enough that you can carry it with you
and especially when driving could remain in contact with others whilst on the
move and then when you are at a safe distance could set up a station as a base
and continue to monitor the airwaves.
Know the drill
Preppers globally preach the ‘Rule of 3’ or the 3-3-3 Radio
Rule so if ever faced with this kind of crisis where you have access to a CB
Radio or a FRS or MURS Radio you may need to know this. They say, you should go to channel 3 and
monitor and call on the channel for 3 mins every three hours. This will be your best chance of making
contact with others who are following the same protocol.
Where you have limited access to the ability to charge your
battery you should switch off your radio when not being used to save the
battery life.
Whilst you may consider this could never happen to you this
could be a serious matter and you may want to consider developing more
knowledge about how to be better prepared for the future.
For more information click the link
below:
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