You have probably seen the reports about the mudslides here in Uganda that have caused so much devastation. The region in which they have occurred are far to the east of here. US military personnel are helping out. Ugandan President Museveni has ordered the evacuation of more threatened villages in the remote area. It is a tragedy compounded by the area’s remote location and the lack of comprehensive emergency services. Ugandans work hard and are dedicated professionals but it is a long, long ways over there. When you get there you will be hard-pressed to find any mechanized digging equipment or more than elementary medical care. There certainly would not be medical air rescue service.

The region is prone to mudslides and the President intends to relocate residents from the area, a task much easier said than done. It is always difficult to displace residents from the home land, even more difficult now that so many have perished. “Who,” the survivors are asking, “will clear the land around the graves of our loved ones if we are forced to move?”

Bududa, on the map to the left, is the location of the catastrophe. I am in Masaka, below and to the left of Kampala. Our area is hilly but not mountainous, rainy, but not overly so. Bududa was a forested region that has been imprudently cleared for farming leaving hillsides exposed to erosion and collapse.

Just a few days after the hillsides fell away, I had a meeting with David Firth, 5X1DF, a Texan working here for a Christian organization building radio stations. David has been here several years and is presently working with the Uganda Communications Commission to set up RACES and ARES type services for the country. In time he will be successful, but there are many obstacles. Under Ugandan law there is no provision for a Ugandan citizen to become an amateur radio operator. Only foreigners can get licenses. He is also working to revive a long-dormant amateur radio club here. I have pledged my support and am optimistic that both projects will see fruition.