How amateur radio operators became lifelines during Feni flood crisis

On 19 August, a sudden and unprecedented flood swept through the Feni district, disrupting all communication channels and plunging the area into chaos. Among those caught in the disaster was an amateur radio operator Dr Asif-Ud-Doula, who found himself trapped in rising waters.

Realising the gravity of the situation, Asif contacted his fellow amateur radio operators—often called 'hams'—in Dhaka, urging them to assist with communication efforts in the flood-affected region. "We could not get to him immediately," said Abdullah Al Fahad, who led the operation, "but he kept us updated about the flood situation in Feni."

Even as Asif remained stuck for four days, his call to action set his fellow operators in motion. With traditional networks down, this group of hams quickly stepped up to fill the communication void. Driven by a sense of duty and using their own funds, these operators coordinated rescue and relief efforts during the crisis.

"With the help of our peers in Dhaka, scouts, and private university networks, we created a database of people who were stranded," explained Ahmad Ibn Arif, an East West University (EWU) alumnus from the "Alumni of All Private University, Bangladesh" community. "We then sent the information from the base in Feni to the Army, who immediately went to the locations and rescued people," added Shihab Uddin Sunny, another EWU alumnus working with the Amateur Radio Network.

A major part of their effort was establishing communication between the Army and the Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Feni. "The DC was in the dark," Fahad shared. "Our main focus was to keep her informed about the situation so she could deploy resources effectively. We even set up a separate base to facilitate direct communication between the DC and the Army."

The initiative began on the evening of 22 August with Fahim and his team establishing the first base station on the rooftop of Tara Nibas, a 15-story building in Feni, and setting up a control room at the DC office. Then the first responding team: Sabbir Hossain, MOB Jihad and Monirujjaman Rifat joined the force at 9 PM. Zihad took responsibility for coordinating with the DC office to ensure things moved smoothly.

Volunteers setting up an antenna. Photo: Courtesy

The following day, a number of amateur radio operators, including Sunny, Mutammim Mahmud Asif, and Dr Dipto, along with his medical students' team from the 'Platform for Doctors and Medical Students' community, arrived in Feni. 

They quickly extended two more stations—one at Mohipal Army Camp and another at a temporary Army Medical Camp—in collaboration with volunteers and army personnel from the Mohipal Army Camp. "We knew we had to act quickly," said Fahad. With this extension, they were able to build a chain of communication across the DC office, the army camp, the field rescue team, and the medical camp, which facilitated the overall rescue missions.

"In Dhaka, we set up one base at the Kakrail Scout HQ and another at my home in Demra, since I couldn't stay at the scout office all the time," explained Fahad. "I could only communicate one way, meaning I couldn't hear them back. But on the roof of the 15-story building, they had some signal and confirmed that they could hear me. So, I kept sending all the information I had about people who were stuck or people who needed emergency relief, and they used it to help the army and DC office mobilise their resources accordingly," he explained.

As the flood damaged the Army's communication systems, internal communication between the Army camp and field teams was conducted through this network. When rescue and relief boats were deployed to distant locations, a volunteer radio operator accompanied the Army teams on each boat to maintain communication with the Feni control room every 30 minutes. 

After establishing two-way communication each time, they would switch off the system to conserve power and preserve the battery charge on their handheld walkie-talkies, ensuring they remained operational.

At the DC office, there was an emergency response team coordinating flood interventions every day. For the first four days, the amateur radio operators remained active around the clock, working tirelessly to manage the crisis

At the DC office, there was an emergency response team coordinating flood interventions every day. For the first four days, the amateur radio operators remained active around the clock, working tirelessly 24 hours a day to manage the crisis.

These efforts mobilised over 375 rescue operations across remote and difficult-to-access upazilas like Parshuram and Fulgazi. "Our primary goal was to maintain a continuous line of communication with the rescuers," Fahad noted. "Over a 70-kilometre radius, we were the only link between the different rescue units and the control room. With no conventional means of communication, amateur radio became the sole channel for coordination efforts."

A community effort

The response was not just the work of a few individuals; it was a coordinated effort by a diverse group of people connected through their love of radio. Members of Bangladesh's Amateur Radio Network include scout members, Red Crescent volunteers, doctors, engineers, university students, and various others. Many of these operators are connected through informal communities on social media.

Similarly, a group of Bangladesh Scouts members who had received the Amateur Radio Service Certificate initiated the conversation in a Messenger group. Under the coordination of Fahad, along with Sunny and Asif, they quickly devised a plan. "It was decided that Feni would be our initial focus," Sunny explained. "We discussed who would go, what equipment was available, and what steps we needed to take."

Bridging the gap

The flood had damaged Feni's internal communication networks, and the amateur radio operators quickly became the linchpin connecting various rescue teams. University students in Dhaka were distressed by the sudden disappearance of their peers working in Feni. Arif, an EWU alumnus coordinating with multiple rescue teams from Dhaka-based private universities, and Shakib Khan from the Amateur Radio Network, who is also an EWU alum, called for an urgent meeting with 14 rescue team members/ coordinators to brief them on the communication establishment in Feni and the mode of radio contacts through frequencies and protocols. "Knowing that communication had been established, even in a small capacity, greatly reduced their anxiety," said Arif.

Arif and Shakib, both based in Dhaka, worked closely with Sunny and Asif in Feni. "Our main job was to keep the lines open between Feni and Dhaka. We gathered rescue and relief requests, and forwarded them to the Feni DC office control room," Shakib explained.

The network facilitated not only internal communication within Feni but also allowed for crucial updates to be relayed between university rescue teams in Dhaka and their peers on the ground. "It was the only reliable communication channel at that time," Ahmad noted. "We could coordinate rescue requests and ensure they reached the right people."

"We would do it again"

Throughout the crisis, the amateur radio network served as the hub of the entire chain of communication. It forwarded news between university teams in Dhaka and Feni, conveyed rescue requests from various sources to the control room, and relayed those messages to Army and volunteer rescue teams. "Without this network, the situation would have been far worse," said a local official.

In communication-deprived Feni, this effort was not organised by any formal institution but rather emerged from the ideas and actions of individuals from various backgrounds. "We were not under any banner," Ahmad reflected. "Just a group of friends, and friends of friends, doing what we could."

Today, communication has been restored in many areas of Feni, and the situation is improving. But during those critical days, it was the nameless and selfless efforts of these amateur radio operators that made all the difference. As the flood worsens in Noakhali, four of their members are currently working there. "We did what needed to be done," said Sunny. "And we would do it again."