Amateur radio operators key during Hugo, host field day to practice skills
The FCC licensed amateur radio operators can communicate with each other without internet or cell phones making them key in emergency situations. Author: Kayland Hagwood Updated: 11:30 PM EDT June 27, 2021
SUMTER, S.C. It was September of 1989 and the wind and rain of Hurricane Hugo were battering the state.
Vic Jones was the director of emergency services in Sumter at the time, and remembers the storm well.
“All of the power was out in Sumter County, and the estimate was 80 percent of our roads and streets were blocked,” Jones said. “Most communication was interrupted as well.”