UK Emergency Group Marks 60th Anniversary

Sixty years ago, the east coast of England was struck by a devastating flood which took the lives of 307 people.

In addition to the lives lost, The East Coast Flood of 1953 caused 1.2 billion British Pounds in damaged, covered more than 160,000 acres and forced more than 32,000 people to evacuate.

A huge storm surge had preceded the 1953 flood, and overwhelmed the low lying areas of the Thames Estuary and the East Anglia region. Evacuations of these areas were hindered by the lack of effective communications. Ham radio operators, as they often do, filled that gap.

At the time the UK had no volunteer emergency communications groups. Previous attempts in 1950 to establish such an organization had been blocked by the government. But exactly 60 years ago today (November 25), and in the wake of the destruction of the '53 Flood, RAYNET, The Radio Amateurs’ Emergency Network was started.....

RAYNET Anniversary