SPANISH FORT — When Hurricane Sally knocked out power across Baldwin County in 2020, residents at Acts Westminster Village discovered just how vulnerable communications can become during a disaster.

"We were almost five days without power," said Joe Meadows, executive director of Acts Westminster Village.

The retirement community relied on generators as staff and residents weathered the aftermath of the storm. The experience exposed a communications gap and led to an idea that would eventually connect Westminster Village directly to Baldwin County's emergency management network.

"Skip, he's the one that really planted the seed because he was really involved in it," Meadows said.

That seed grew into the Westminster Village Amateur Radio Club, or Alpha Bravo Four Westminster Village (AB4WV) for their call sign, a group of licensed amateur radio operators, many in their 60s, 70s and 80s, who now help provide communications support during severe weather, emergency exercises and infrastructure failures.

The club works closely with Baldwin County Emergency Management Agency and the Baldwin County Amateur Radio Club. Members operate a radio station inside Westminster Village and can communicate with emergency officials when traditional systems are unavailable.

"The bottom line of it is to train for emergency communications," club trustee Skip Bollens said.

That training includes simulated emergency tests in which operators practice relaying priority messages, communicating with shelters and responding to scenarios where power, internet and phone service have failed.

Club members regularly participate in emergency preparedness exercises coordinated through amateur radio emergency organizations and local emergency management officials. During those drills, operators are assigned realistic disaster scenarios, from hurricanes and flooding to widespread power outages, and must pass messages using the same procedures and forms used during actual emergencies. The exercises are designed to ensure operators can continue providing communications when conventional systems fail.

Many amateur radio operators also participate in NOAA's Skywarn program, which trains volunteers to recognize and report significant weather conditions to forecasters and emergency officials. The training helps provide ground-level weather observations during severe weather events, giving emergency managers and meteorologists real-time information from affected areas.

"You have no power, you have no phone, you have no internet, and now the fun begins for ham radio," Bollens said.

While emergency preparedness is a major focus, club members say amateur radio is also a hobby that keeps them engaged long before disaster strikes. Operators participate in contests, special events and nationwide activities that allow them to communicate with people across the country and around the world.

Bollens described himself as a "paper chaser," a term amateur radio operators use for collecting awards and certificates earned through radio contacts.

Club members also participate in activities such as Field Day and Parks on the Air, where operators set up temporary stations without relying on existing infrastructure. During Field Day, amateur radio clubs across the country spend up to 24 hours making contacts and operating under simulated emergency conditions.

The events help operators practice building antennas, generating power and communicating from locations where traditional infrastructure is unavailable — the same skills they may need when responding to hurricanes, severe storms or other emergencies.

The training has already proven useful.

During Baldwin County's rare winter snowstorm in January of 2025, emergency managers activated the club to help monitor road conditions around Interstate 10 and relay information to county officials.

"They contacted me and said we need you to set up in your radio room with the CB channels of the truckers because we need to know what the road conditions are on the interstate and we need to know about closing bridges," said club president Pattilynne Miller.

Operators monitored conditions and passed along reports, including information about icy overpasses and bridge closures. The retirement community's location near Interstate 10 made it a valuable observation point for emergency managers.

The club also participates in countywide disaster exercises and maintains equipment capable of operating independently of local communications infrastructure. Members use Winlink, a radio-based messaging system that can transmit email-style messages over radio frequencies when internet service is unavailable.

If phones and internet service fail, residents can use the amateur radio network to send welfare messages to loved ones, letting family members know they are safe and providing updates on conditions in the community.

For Miller, emergency service has always been the driving force behind her involvement in amateur radio.

"Mine really is the emergency part," she said. "That's the only reason I got licensed back in 2016 was to work for emergencies."

The club has also become a training center for new operators. Westminster Village offers licensing classes and testing for residents and community members, helping recruit new volunteers and expand the local emergency communications network.

"We've had several of ours that were in their 80s that got their licenses for the first time," Bollens said.

As another hurricane season begins, club members are already preparing. The community maintains backup power for its radio room, emergency supplies and staffing plans that allow operators to remain on duty around the clock after a major storm.

Meadows said the community has invested in batteries, dedicated radio space and support systems that allow operators to continue working even during extended outages.

What began as a response to Hurricane Sally has evolved into a resource not only for Westminster Village, but for Baldwin County as a whole.

For Meadows, that may be the most remarkable part of the story.

"The service they can provide to the county," he said. 

Gabriella Chavez is a Report for America corps member who writes about growth and development in Baldwin County and our natural spaces for Gulf Coast Media. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://tinyurl.com/yaf8yf5n.