{"id":66824,"date":"2026-08-14T16:13:25","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T20:13:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=66824"},"modified":"2026-08-14T16:13:25","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T20:13:25","slug":"c-crane-interview-radio-during-hurricane-helene","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2026\/08\/c-crane-interview-radio-during-hurricane-helene\/","title":{"rendered":"C.Crane Interview: Radio During Hurricane Helene"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/hurricane-helene-NOAA-sat-image.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-60749\" src=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/hurricane-helene-NOAA-sat-image.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" srcset=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/hurricane-helene-NOAA-sat-image.webp 1200w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/hurricane-helene-NOAA-sat-image-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/hurricane-helene-NOAA-sat-image-1024x576.webp 1024w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/hurricane-helene-NOAA-sat-image-768x432.webp 768w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/hurricane-helene-NOAA-sat-image-624x351.webp 624w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/a>I recently had the opportunity to talk with Jessica Crotty of C. Crane about my experience with radio during the aftermath of Hurricane Helene here in western North Carolina.<\/p>\n<p>We talked about how our neighborhood stayed connected when cell service, internet, and 911 were unavailable, the important role local broadcasters played, and a few lessons I learned about emergency preparedness along the way.<\/p>\n<p>I hope you find the conversation useful. It was certainly a sobering experience, but one that reminded me just how valuable radio\u2014and good neighbors\u2014can be when the infrastructure we normally depend on goes down.<\/p>\n<p>-Thomas<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"625\" height=\"352\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/mE2ojLkp7Mo?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/mE2ojLkp7Mo?si=xtqgXkE2QbzTMltF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Click here to view on YouTube.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I recently had the opportunity to talk with Jessica Crotty of C. Crane about my experience with radio during the aftermath of Hurricane Helene here in western North Carolina. We talked about how our neighborhood stayed connected when cell service, internet, and 911 were unavailable, the important role local broadcasters played, and a few lessons [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[599,3],"tags":[190,10615,317],"class_list":["post-66824","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-emergency-preparedness","category-news","tag-ccrane","tag-hurricane-helene","tag-thomas-witherspoon"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-hnO","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":61233,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2024\/11\/a-shining-moment-for-ham-radio\/","url_meta":{"origin":66824,"position":0},"title":"A Shining Moment for Ham Radio","author":"Jock Elliott","date":"November 28, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"By Jock Elliott, KB2GOM \u201cAny sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.\u201d \u2013 Arthur C. Clarke Shame on us: we take it for granted that someone can speak into a microphone miles away (perhaps thousands of miles), we can hear them, reply to them, share information and maybe even get\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Ham Radio&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Ham Radio","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/ham-radio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/FTM-500DR-1-1-1024x768.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/FTM-500DR-1-1-1024x768.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/FTM-500DR-1-1-1024x768.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":63124,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/06\/helene-milton-exposed-need-to-protect-am-radio\/","url_meta":{"origin":66824,"position":1},"title":"&#8220;Helene, Milton exposed need to protect AM radio&#8221;","author":"Thomas","date":"June 10, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Dennis Dura, who shares this article from the Ponte Vedra Recorder highlighting how Hurricane Helene has exposed the critical need to protect AM radio as a vital emergency communication tool: https:\/\/www.pontevedrarecorder.com\/stories\/helene-milton-exposed-need-to-protect-am-radio,129870","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/CC-Solar-Observer-4.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/CC-Solar-Observer-4.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/CC-Solar-Observer-4.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/CC-Solar-Observer-4.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":60988,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2024\/10\/ham-radio-workbench-podcast-episode-221-hurricane-helene-and-emergency-prep\/","url_meta":{"origin":66824,"position":2},"title":"Ham Radio Workbench Podcast Episode 221: Hurricane Helene and Emergency Prep","author":"Thomas","date":"October 29, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Note: I originally published this post on QRPer.com, but I thought I\u2019d cross-post it here since so many of you have been checking in on me post-Hurricane Helene. As an update, we\u2019re all doing fine here at SWLing Post HQ, and things are starting to normalize. It will be many\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/qrper.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Ham-Radio-Workbench-Podcast-Coffee-Mug-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/qrper.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Ham-Radio-Workbench-Podcast-Coffee-Mug-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/qrper.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Ham-Radio-Workbench-Podcast-Coffee-Mug-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/qrper.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Ham-Radio-Workbench-Podcast-Coffee-Mug-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/qrper.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Ham-Radio-Workbench-Podcast-Coffee-Mug-1.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":64821,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/12\/a-conversation-about-amateur-radio-and-hurricane-helene-with-mark-hurst-on-techtonic\/","url_meta":{"origin":66824,"position":3},"title":"A Conversation About Amateur Radio and Hurricane Helene with Mark Hurst on Techtonic","author":"Thomas","date":"December 6, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"I wrote the following for QRPer.com, and thought readers here on the SWLing Post might appreciate it too: I was recently invited onto Techtonic, the weekly technology program on WFMU, hosted by Mark Hurst. If you\u2019ve never listened to Techtonic, I encourage you to check it out\u2014it\u2019s one of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Ham Radio&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Ham Radio","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/ham-radio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/FTM-500DR-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/FTM-500DR-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/FTM-500DR-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/FTM-500DR-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/FTM-500DR-1.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":62485,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/04\/eye-on-america-nc-radio-station-becomes-voice-of-recovery-after-hurricane-helene\/","url_meta":{"origin":66824,"position":4},"title":"Eye On America: NC radio station becomes voice of recovery after Hurricane Helene","author":"Thomas","date":"April 1, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"From CBS Evening News: After Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina, a couple of radio broadcasters played a critical role in keeping residents informed. Now, six months later, they have taken on a new role in the recovery. Skyler Henry reports. https:\/\/youtu.be\/Oj431xpwrsE?si=K3kcrQFbnWoPqt6V Click here to view on YouTube. Having experienced\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;AM&quot;","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/Oj431xpwrsE\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":60897,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2024\/10\/post-helene-update-and-the-importance-of-radio-after-a-natural-disaster\/","url_meta":{"origin":66824,"position":5},"title":"Post-Helene Update and the Importance of Radio After a Natural Disaster","author":"Thomas","date":"October 18, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"No matter where you live in the world, everyone should have a battery-powered or self-powered (hand-crank) portable radio in their home. Recently, the pace of articles here on the SWLing Post has slowed down. That\u2019s because I live in Swannanoa, North Carolina\u2014a town that was particularly hard-hit by Hurricane\/Tropical Storm\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;AM&quot;","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/skywave-d-109-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/skywave-d-109-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/skywave-d-109-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/skywave-d-109-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/skywave-d-109-1.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/skywave-d-109-1.jpeg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66824","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66824"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66824\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":66825,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66824\/revisions\/66825"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66824"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66824"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66824"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}