Planning key for Haiti ahead of hurricane season - Segovia

Earthquake-struck Haiti should take steps to put in place an emergency response planning procedure to help mitigate damage that could occur from the upcoming Hurricane season, John Richardson, VP of customer solutions for Segovia - a subsidiary of Inmarsat and a provider of satellite communications products and services - told BNamericas. According to Richardson, while having satellite technology is important to communicate when traditional communication methods are not available, having a well publicized plan of action - not only for emergency services and authorities, but also for individuals - is the best means of responding to a natural disaster. "It's about education, trying to make sure that individuals, families, as well as local and state and federal governments understand the importance of having a plan and having a mitigation and preparedness track. And part of that is communications. How will you be able to communicate when traditional services are not available to you," he said. According to the executive, a range of low-cost satellite phones at around US$1,500 each are now available in the market from the likes of Iridium and Inmarsat, which has the i-sat phone, while Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) devices, about the size of a notebook, provide voice as well as data connectivity. Hurricane season typically begins in the late boreal spring or early summer, and terrestrial or undersea lines may become damaged, making extra planning and testing of equipment in the already delicate situation in Haiti a top priority, Patricia Cooper, president of the Satellite Industry Association (SIA), was quoted as saying in a statement. According to Richardson, the US can provide assistance as the lessons learned from hurricanes Katrina and Ivan have helped the country in improving its preparedness and coordination among the different agencies, including the federal emergency and management agency (FEMA) with its public information website Ready.gov, as well as the national ocean and atmospheric administration (NOAA), the American Red Cross and the Citizens Core. "It comes back to what are your emergency plans and procedures in those organizations, and providing planning information and tools not only for the general public, but for businesses and government," Richardson said. From a communications point of view, there has to be interoperability between the disparate law enforcement agencies. Technologies are available that allow integration of land mobile radio over satellite, he said.