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POLK COUNTY—When Hurricane Helene knocked out power, Internet and cell service to much of the region, including Polk County, the Thermal Belt Amateur Radio Club stepped in. They provided a valuable means of communication for people needing to connect in the crisis. 

Amateur radio operators, known as hams, use what are called radio repeaters to receive and send VHF and UHF signals for communication.

“The radio repeaters provided a critical pathway for other hams to contact appropriate resources and personnel for aid, whether it be for health and welfare checks of loved ones that were unable to be contacted, tree removal, emergency supplies and essentials, road clearance, and a myriad of other needs when the cell service disappeared,” says Gary Wells, the club’s treasurer. 

The club itself lost power to its radio repeaters. Still, it used battery power as a backup and later used a generator to recharge the batteries to keep lines of communication open. One club member embedded himself at a church in the Pisgah Forest to help coordinate the distribution of needed supplies, and another is still driving supplies to areas that have been unreachable using his radio to coordinate deliveries. 

While demand for its services is dropping as power, Internet, and cell service are being restored, the club is still ready and available to assist if needed. 

“We have received countless feedback stories of how amateur radio came to the rescue of so many people in need that had no other way to communicate to loved ones,” says Wells.

Amateur radio operators formed the club in 1974 as the Polk County Amateur Radio Club. Now, as the Thermal Belt Amateur Radio Club, it has more than 30 members located across the Upstate and western North Carolina. 

For more information, visit tbarc.org