04/20/2016
What you see on the news is only the tip of the iceberg of what really happened
as a result of the devastating April 16 earthquake in Ecuador, Michigan
physician Rick Dorsch, NE8Z/HC1MD, told ARRL. Since the 7.8 magnitude quake hit
while most people were at home finishing dinner, "thousands of people" remain
buried in the rubble of collapsed buildings, although some have been found
alive. Dorsch and his wife Maria, HC1MM, also a physician, have been helping to
handle health-and-welfare traffic via EchoLink[1], which is connected to the
Ecuadorean interlaced national 2 meter repeater network.
"EchoLink is actually a fantastic Amateur Radio service," Dorsch told ARRL. "It
has become extremely useful for the hams there to reach out to the outside
world via 2 meters." HF also is playing a role, and radio amateurs have been
asked to give 7.060 MHz a wide berth while the Cadena HC Net handles emergency
traffic. Dorsch said some problems have cropped up from DX pileups that have
overlapped the net's frequency.
Dorsch pointed out that while most of the damage was in the HC4 areas of Manabí
and Esmeraldas provinces and the HC2 area of Guayas Province, what's not seen
from the outside is the heavy damage to surrounding small fishing villages and
colonial towns that were leveled. Fortunately the Portoviejo Radio Club was
undamaged, and members have been operating from there. Dorsch said that
electrical power is starting to return, and the cellular network is still
"iffy," but the Quito Radio Club is providing battery-powered cellphone
charging stations.
A lot of health-and-welfare traffic is headed not only between Ecuador and the
US but to Spain, Chile, and elsewhere, he reported. Dorsch said more bilingual
Spanish-English speakers are needed on the HC1BG-R EchoLink channel.
While power has been knocked out over much of the affected region, Dorsch said,
he's witnessing hams all over Ecuador operating from mobile stations, portable
stations, and, in some cases, from home. "All of the Ecuadorean radio clubs
have been on high alert and are helping in search-and-rescue efforts," he said.
"Ham radio at its best!"
On a more positive note, Dorsch said that noted DXer Lilian "Mami" de Ayala,
HC4L, barely escaped death or injury when her home collapsed. The 85-year-old,
who lives in Portoviejo, was in her radio room seconds before the earthquake
hit, Dorsch said. "Her granddaughter had come over to visit, so Lilian went
into another part of the house." Her radio room and home were destroyed, and
her next-door neighbor was among the casualties.
"She's still in shock and can't believe she's alive," Dorsch told ARRL. Local
hams have removed her personal effects and ham radio gear to a safe location.
For more than 40 years, de Ayala had been a regular check-in on the Cadena HC
Net on 40 meters. "It's ironic that the one person who lost all of her radio
equipment was the one who organized radio emergency services for so many
years," Dorsch said. Her tower and antennas survived, because they were mounted
on the roof of her son's home next door.
[1] http://www.echolink.org/
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