Télécoms Sans Frontières Reconnects Areas Affected by Disaster
Last month’s devastating magnitude-8 earthquake in Peru killed more than 500 people and knocked down or damaged thousands of buildings in Peru’s southern desert cities of Ica and Pisco.
In the midst of such devastation, conditions are exacerbated by lack of communications with the outside world, as landlines are inevitably severed by falling debris.
That’s why satcom plays such a critical role in disaster recovery. In the days following the earthquake in Peru, engineers from Télécoms Sans Frontières leaped into action. The BBC reported on August 17th:
The five-strong team will deploy satellite telephone and internet access in three centres – at Pisco, where the quake hit hardest, Ica and Chincha.
Julie Cazenave, who is leading the team, said: "There is a lot of confusion right now because there is little information from the areas hit."
The priority will be to establish telecoms at the airport in Pisco.
Telecoms Sans Frontieres (TSF) is charity that works with the United Nations and the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) to restore communications in disaster-hit areas and the developing world.
"There are no power lines to charge phones. In the affected areas there are no landlines, no internet," said Ms Cazenave.
TSF was critical in reconnecting families that had lost track of each other following the quake:
The relief team from TSF’s Americas base, composed of 5 specialist in emergency communications transports satellite communication equipment (Inmarsat BGan terminals, RBGan, GAN M4 and Mini M) as well as computer equipment to provide internet connections, telephone lines and fax….
During a calling operation on Tuesday, Carmen Hernandez called her son who lives in Spain and testified on the violence of the quake:
"- Mom, where are you calling from? Your voice is trembling, are you sure everything is alright?
"Don’t worry, please keep talking, it’s so good to hear your voice. We’re lacking everything here but we’re alive. When you come back, you won’t recognize Pisco. I’m calling from a satellite phone, a free called offered by an international NGO. Don’t worry son, stay where you are."
The Peruvian earthquake isn’t the only recent natural disaster where TSF has lent a hand:
Still in operation in Pisco following the earthquake which stroke Peru, Télécoms Sans Frontières intervenes in the area of the RAAN (North Atlantic Autonomous Region) from its Latin America base taking care of the victims of the Felix Hurricane.
Tuesday, the Felix cyclone (category 5) devastated Northern Nicaragua, involving the increase of human losses and the number of disaster victims which could exceed 500 000 people. Facing this disaster, the President of Nicaragua invited the international community to provide a humanitarian aid for the victims.
From their base in Managua, 5 logisticians of Telecoms Sans Frontieres arrived on the ground by helicopter, providing assistance to the relief organizations and United Nations agencies by deploying communication centers in Puerto Cabezas. These installations include Inmarsat terminals, BGan, Gan M4, Minis M and laptops. Efficient telecommunications infrastructure plays a crucial role ensuring the success of emergency coordination. Additional TSF centers will be installed in Sandy Bay and Waspan from today.
At the same time, the TSF teams will offer to each disaster affected family a free call to a relative, which could provide them psychological assistance as well as immediate response to their needs.
ITU has also played a critical role in restoring vital communications to Peru, deploying 50 satellite terminals in remote and underserved areas.
For more information on Télécoms Sans Frontières, click here.
