CLEVELAND — Saturday marked the end of Ohio's Severe Weather Awareness Week, but our storm season is really just beginning.
The span from April through June is the most active weather-wise, according to Spectrum News Meteorologists, who say those months typically produce more tornadoes and dangerous conditions than the rest of the year.
One network of volunteers stays tuned in to help share information in case of an emergency.
Sending his voice over the airwaves is how Chuck Mahozonek stays connected.
“It’s a passion,” he said.
There are more modern methods of communication, but he keeps radios at the ready both while on the road and at home.
He serves as emergency coordinator for the Cuyahoga County Amateur Radio Emergency Service.
“We do have the training, so we’re on a lot of equal steps with a lot of the authorities, the agencies that we do serve,” Mahozonek said. “The big thing is we’re free.”
He said the lack of pay differentiates him and other amateur radio operators from emergency professionals. He’s part of a team of volunteers like Mat Nickoson who are trained to assist with communications at Cuyahoga County’s Emergency Operations Center.
“If something were to go wrong, we’d be able to, you know, pick up and help continue those communications during whatever issue they were experiencing,” Nickoson said.
Kevin Friis, planning manager for Cuyahoga County’s Office of Emergency Management, said amateur radio operators are a part of every activation.
“It’s technology that is not reliant on networks or internet,” he said.
If there’s a blackout or cell towers go down, the radios can still relay information using battery power. Friis said such outages are a real possibility during severe storms.
“That capability right then, right there, is phenomenal,” he said. “You know, during the tornadoes, we had a lot of cell outages because power is needed for those towers.”
Even with all the training, Mehozonek said he hopes to never be needed in an emergency.
“Are we prepared for it?” Mehozonek said. “Yeah, we are. That’s why we practice every week. We always get through. No matter what.”
During severe weather season, besides helping in emergency situations, amateur radio operators can also assist the National Weather Service as part of its Sky Warn program where witnesses radio in reports of storm damage and conditions. Forecasters then use that information to issue warnings or track storms.
