Residents and businesses are receiving much needed communications services now following the tornadoes in the Tennessee Valley and the flooded Cumberland River in Tennessee.
A major telephone company is using QuickSPOT satellite enabled emergency communications vehicles to restore telephone and internet services at a Nashville switching center. The QuickSPOT satellite bandwidth network provides satellite internet service which the company uses to provide telephone traffic to the affected communities until the flood waters recede and the in ground infrastructure can be repaired.
On Call is also supporting the Federal Government with their Mobile Disaster Recovery Centers (MDRC’s) providing IP based satellite bandwidth and 24 hour technical support for the satellite uplinks on the MDRC vehicles. According to FEMA, eighteen mobile units are serving flood victims currently as centers where the public can apply online for loans, assistance and check up on applications. On Call makes online applications and phones calls possible right at the disaster scene. Satellite internet and voice over IP lines allow for online applications and follow up. Craig Fugate, FEMA Administrator reports in a White House blog post that over 12,000 people had already applied for assistance by Friday as a result of the flooding.
FEMA has also deployed MDRC units to assist victims of the Tennessee Valley tornadoes in Mississippi.
