Whether we’re talking about wildfires like these or massive, 100-year hurricanes, large emergencies and natural disasters are devastating for the people and governments that are impacted. They force people from their homes and into emergency, temporary shelter. They cause billions in damage. And they force first responders and emergency response personnel directly into harm’s way to battle against nature and save the lives of the people in their path.
Worse, these disasters have a tendency to destroy many of the things that first responders rely on to effectively do their jobs, including the terrestrial networks and communications infrastructures that enable them to coordinate their emergency response, collaborate in the field and communicate when they need direction, guidance or support.
Satellite services are one of a handful of advanced technologies that can be leveraged in the field to help assuage the lack of communication that often accompanies natural disasters and emergency response situations. Without the need for established, permanent terrestrial systems and infrastructure, today’s advanced satellite technologies can connect first responders even when terrestrial networks are denied. They can even provide communications infrastructure to residents after disasters have passed.
Recently, experts from SES Space and Defense, Verizon and goTenna came together with Peter Jacobs of the Government Technology Insider Podcast to talk all about the communications requirements during and after natural disasters and emergency response situations. During the podcast, they talked about why terrestrial networks are often compromised, the challenges this causes, and how advanced technologies are making it possible to communicate in even the worst conditions.
Click the play button below to hear their entire discussion.