Finnish ham Gregory White OH2FFY uses facts and statistics to shine a light on The Biggest Lie in Ham Radio:
Fact is there could be more deaths if not for the operator. Skywarn, for example, people putting themselves out there to make on the ground reports.
No I am not a ham I am a certified weather watcher that uses cell phone to call in reports.
This kind of illustrates a point: commercial communications are more efficient and robust than relying solely on ham radio. FWIW, I gave up on the local "Skywarn net" because one will have to wait 20-30 minutes for all the gas bags to shut up talking about "it's raining" or the net control simulcasting the same weather warnings available on 162MHz, local media, and dozens of weather apps. Hard to pass any relevant traffic and actual damage reports when one can't get airtime. But a quick email or EMWIN entry and NWS Atlanta has what they need, ham radio not required.No I am not a ham I am a certified weather watcher that uses cell phone to call in reports.
If a real National Emergency was to occur or a very serious Regional problem was to occur then those ham operators with the resources of adequate equipment, alternate power supply, Superior antenna Farms and the proper networking could be of Public Service and vital in relaying information regarding the well-being of family members and the status of remote communities.
First, hams over-react about the "demise" of amateur radio in California citing information gleaned from agenda-driven websites (K6UDA's YouTube channel and the Off Grid Survival website) and now they're quoting disaster statistics from an amateur radio operator that isn't an American and doesn't even reside in the United States. It's a sad reflection on ham radio in this country that we're relying on these kind of sources and conveniently ignoring our own organization in the process.