When the Phones Go Down, These Volunteers Keep East Texas Talking.

When hurricanes, tornadoes or widespread power failures interrupt normal communications, members of the Deep East Texas Amateur Radio Club are prepared to step in.

DETARC volunteers work alongside the Angelina County Emergency Operations Center and can operate emergency radio stations at government offices, hospitals and public-health facilities. Portable equipment can also be deployed to shelters or other locations needing communication support.

The club’s Winlink technology allows trained operators to send and receive email through radio signals without conventional internet service. With approximately a dozen active members, the organization can operate multiple shifts during an extended emergency.

Formed in 1978, DETARC has supported community events and major regional responses, including the Space Shuttle Columbia recovery effort.

Their work demonstrates an important principle of disaster preparedness: the systems that protect communities during emergencies must be built, practiced and maintained long before they are needed.