Disaster recovery
Evolving technologies for
disaster communications
One great irony in our world is that communications are most needed when they are likely
to be disrupted – such as during extreme weather, volcanic activity, floods, earthquakes and
tsunamis. Richard Martin reviews both new and existing systems for disaster comms
In 2017, the cost of disasters in the USA alone jumped to
$306bn, up from $188bn in 2016. It follows that there
is a strong financial and human benefit to being ready
to react to such events, minimise loss of life and begin
reconstruction. Current emergency communications
systems will continue to be used where possible but
may themselves be compromised during a disaster. New
technology can add to rescue and recovery operations,
notably satellite comms, drones, wireless broadband and
artificial intelligence (AI).
Understand the risks
Well-developed and tested plans are needed for effective
operations. For example, in the UK following the terrorist
attacks in London in 2005, the government established clear
responsibilities for dealing with this and other emergencies
at both national and local levels. A national Emergency
Planning College was established to train all types of officers
and officials in emergency planning and response.
With clear responsibility established, the agency can
determine the level of risk associated with each scenario. It is
best to prioritise planning resources for events that are both
high-risk/impact and have a high probability of occurring.
While terrorism grabs the headlines, the type of emergencies
that often have the biggest and most frequent impacts are
more likely to be storms and floods. History will identify
most of the potential events; for each, response plans can
be formulated. These will identify all agencies that need to
be involved, particular tasks, and resources. They will also
have to include up-front funding to buy equipment, and
contingency funds to pay for transport and other costs during
an emergency. It is also important to not neglect planning for
low-frequency, high-impact events such as pandemics.
Let us examine some of the recent new technologies that
complement public service radio systems such as TETRA,
P25 and DMR.
The essential processes and systems
Disaster recovery has to assume the complete absence of
working infrastructure, and must include search and rescue
28 www.criticalcomms.com November 2019
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