Communication is the lynchpin of disaster preparedness.
When a disaster strikes, a timely reaction and intervention is of the utmost importance in order to save lives and prevent irreparable damage to all-important infrastructure that thousands rely on.
Yet, without an effective communications strategy in place, none of this can be achieved.
As part of my role, I’ve played a part in multiple response efforts that have seen satellite communication at the forefront of major disasters.
Now, with one of the most unpredictable seasons upon us in the United States, and the implications of an ever-changing climate continuing to wreak havoc on territories around the world, there’s no better time to revisit how crucial an ally satellite can be.
A change in climate change
According to a report by the Fair Tech Institute (FTI), the number of recorded natural disasters are set to increase by as much as 37 percent between 2024 and 2029, with climate change not only intensifying the frequency of natural disasters, but the long-term impact too.
The economic impact of natural disasters has increased by more than three times from an annual average of $56 billion per annum, between 1980 and 1984, to an annual average of $199 billion between 2015 – 2019 – figures that are set to grow dramatically with the increase in rapid urbanization, flooding and rising sea levels.
Hurricanes are ‘likely’ to be reaching category three or above more often, according to the UN’s climate body, the IPCC – meaning they will reach higher wind speeds and could lead to catastrophic damage.
We’ve seen the trail of destruction that various natural disasters have caused over the years – from Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the 2011 tsunami and earthquake in Japan, to the 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Nepal in 2015.
Putting it into perspective, using the United States as an example, the FTI report suggests that for every minute reduction in response time, there is a predicted 8 – 17 percent decrease in overall mortality rates, a 6.9 percent drop in healthcare costs for patients and a $6,000 reduction in infrastructure damage costs.
Figures that throw the importance of effective disaster recovery into the spotlight.
Economic impact and the challenge of disaster communication
If we were to reflect on a few key disasters through the years, large scale communications failures have proven to worsen the impact of an incident.
Take Japan’s 2011 earthquake, for example, where there were tragically 16,000 deaths, thousands injured and many missing. The communications infrastructure, including major coastal transmission lines and utility poles were heavily damaged, causing a shutdown of approximately 29,000 base stations. Consequently, 1.9million were affected due to this major collapse in communication infrastructure.
The 2013 flash floods in India significantly affected the northern regions, with many remote regions left isolated due to damaged communication infrastructure. Both the wired and wireless services, including cellular and Internet, were severely affected due to high-congestion, resulting in delayed rescue and evacuations.
Many of these incidents have only deepened social-economic struggles and left a number of locations, like Nepal, still reeling from the trauma even years later.
The ripple effect of disaster can be incredibly damaging, both to human life and infrastructure, but also key industries like agriculture where in excess of $108 billion in damaged crop and livestock production is predicted to have been lost in developing countries.
They also pose significant challenges to the provision and accessibility of healthcare services – particularly in low-income countries. Even in developed countries though, like the US, one study found that up to 40 percent of those affected by Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita were living with a chronic illness as a result of the lack of medicine and access to previous medical records.
Rebuilding never happens overnight, but these events, and the ones we still experience today, call into question the role of space-based technology and its ability to predict, monitor and assist during relief efforts.
Connectivity and interagency coordination
The most common communication challenges I’ve seen have been down to terrestrial network failures due to extremely high traffic, a lack of network infrastructure and preparedness between stakeholders.
Satellite-based technologies, unlike their terrestrial counterparts, are not as susceptible to the disruption caused by natural disasters.
Long recognized as an essential component of any country’s disaster communications management strategy, yet so often misunderstood, satellites can be easily deployed, are user friendly and offer a wide coverage range even in sparsely populated areas.
Satellite’s ability to cut-through those challenges, through its ubiquitous and rapid provision of coverage, independent of terrestrial infrastructure and highly-resilient nature can mean it is a disaster management team’s greatest ally.
Our solutions have played an integral role in a number of real-life scenarios for longstanding partner and telecommunications giant, Verizon. Since 2005, its team has been using our Dialog multiservice platform for cellular backhaul and to access communication networks over satellite during disasters, alongside our Evolution platform for business continuity.
This year, we carried out an exercise – called INTEROP – with Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team (VFCRT) to test the preparedness of emergency response teams, across agencies, in a disaster scenario set-up. Clearly outlining the role of satcom solutions.
Fundamental to this event, and in real life, is interoperable communication between private and public agencies – the ability for teams, across different organizations, to identify the necessary connectivity requirements for an incident command system.
Regular training on this is paramount to ensuring effective collaboration in the event of a real emergency. And, with this season predicted to be one of the most volatile on record, particularly in the US, a timely event like this can ensure everyone is prepared.
Reliable and robust rescue
Verizon has a long history of using satellite communications for providing vital communications, stretching back to Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
As recently as 2020, deep in the throes of the pandemic, we supported the team with the fall-out from Hurricane Laura in Louisiana.
Recorded as the tenth strongest US hurricane on record, causing the deaths of at least 36 people and an estimated $14 billion of damage, the impact of the hurricane caused the failure of a significant amount of terrestrial networks – a black-out that would have made it difficult for communications and relief aid, if not for satcom technology.
Typically, response teams would use available Internet to collect, send and receive data from collaborative cloud platforms, as well as using it to stay on top of the latest developments and provide access to vital services like telemedicine. But with many terrestrial networks down in Louisiana, and those still operating at a compressed rate, connectivity would quickly become severely strained.
An integral part of this connectivity portfolio though, bolstering the Internet’s capabilities, is satcom technology. Our satcom solutions helped to deliver essential back-up connectivity for critical data and Internet services, enabling first responders in Louisiana to share information about hard-hit areas and help residents reconnect.
In addition, satellite-connected cell sites were deployed to support first responders and public safety and, due to the significant disruption to local fibre connections in the area, satellite backhaul trailers were utilized to provide temporary connections.
Our satcom-enabled mobile command centers and comms-on-the-move vehicles, both boats and planes, also empowered first responders to share information on harder-hit areas and coordinate essential services.
By providing a platform that can be deployed from the early stages after a disaster, right through to restoration, reliable satellite links can be set up anywhere, independent of location on land, air or sea, at all times in a flexible, scalable and efficient way – with higher throughput achieved at maximum service availability.
The Louisiana disaster demonstrated how satellite is the very cornerstone of quick and reliable relief aid – enabling all networks to be temporarily reinstated, reconnecting thousands with their loved ones.
Of course, at the very heart of any disaster though, is preparation and collaboration – two ideals central to INTEROP. Through our relationship with key telecoms enterprises, like Verizon, we are committed to continuing to work closely with key agencies so that, in the future, we can be ready to react as we know that we have reliable and robust solutions, like satcom technology, at our fingertips.
link