When a hurricane blows out your internet, a drone can drop an instant Wi-Fi network
2 min read
Image: Satellite image ©2020 Maxar Technologies. Article by Kent German and Sean Keane.
New technology like instant Wi-Fi networks and body monitoring sensors are helping first responders in the field save more lives.
The deadliest hurricane in Puerto Rican history began as a cluster of thunderstorms off the western bulge of Africa on Sept. 13, 2017. Fueled by evaporation from warm tropical water just north of the equator, the storms began to form into circular bands and rotate around the area of low pressure moving west across the Atlantic Ocean. Three days later as the winds in those bands reached 75 mph, Hurricane Maria was officially born. […]
But Maria did more than destroy roads, bridges and entire towns — it took down the island’s power grid and knocked out most of the wireless networks and internet cables. In the weeks after the storm, those communications gaps severely hampered relief efforts. Without the ability to contact injured people, first responders can’t help them. And when emergency crews are working in dangerous environments, such as paramedics after a hurricane or firefighters battling some of the largest wildfires in California history, their commanders need to be able to monitor their health so they can keep saving lives. Fortunately, tech developers are stepping in to help, with new technologies like mesh networks that can be quickly deployed in ruined areas and wearable equipment that monitors the health of firefighters in real time. […]
