I’m proud to work for a company that partners with non-governmental organizations that support humanitarian efforts.
Supporting these efforts became personal for me in 2017 when Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, Dominica and the U.S. Virgin Islands. My mother, who lives in Puerto Rico, experienced first-hand the anxiety that comes when people cannot communicate with their loved ones after a disaster. Fortunately, my mother was safe, and I was privileged to work alongside NGO partners restoring communications on the island.
2019 Hurricane season was here, and these thoughts were with me as I boarded a charter flight for the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian. Although I’ve worked onsite following several natural disasters, I was moved by the extent of the human and physical devastation in the Bahamas and was grateful that I was in a position to help.
A call for help.
Like most people, I and my colleagues had been closely following the news as Hurricane Dorian approached the Bahamas. That’s when we got the call from Global DIRT, the Disaster Immediate Response Team of Help.NGO.
Global DIRT has been successfully using GATR Antenna Systems as part of their ongoing disaster relief mission around the world. The antennas can be setup in as little as 30 minutes and can be packed in as few as two cases. This ease of deployment and extreme portability make them ideal systems for disaster recovery efforts.
But there was a problem -- A big one!
Their GATR Antenna System was already deployed supporting relief efforts in Mozambique from Typhoon Idai earlier this year.
Touching down in the Bahamas.
I arrived on Tuesday afternoon, 10 Sep, and was met by Global DIRT personnel on the ground. We loaded up the GATR antennas and other Cubic Mission Solutions (CMS) rugged IoT equipment and headed to our temporary housing (what remained of the Abaco Beach Resort). The destruction I saw as we drove was devastating. There was a debris field that I didn’t realize was a former neighborhood. Massive metal shipping containers lay on top of where houses used to be. Boat docks were non-existent with boats smashed upside down on driveways.
Seeing the devastation created a huge sense of urgency as we began our work. Working alongside Global DIRT and other partners, we were able to set-up five GATR inflatable antennas and other rugged IoT gear in 72 hours.
Here’s what we did:
Tuesday, Sept 10, Winding Bay, Bahamas
- Installed the GATR 1.2m at Team Rubicon’s Forward Operating Base 1 with a WiFi internet connection via Intelsat’s FlexGround network. This allowed Team Rubicon to better coordinate aid supplies and personnel and reduce the number of “runners” being sent throughout the island to hand deliver messages.
Wednesday, Sept 11, Marsh Harbor
- Setup an on-the-move flat panel antenna on an old small Mazda truck that a resident donated to Global DIRT. This on-the-move antenna combined with Cubic | Vocality radio over IP (RoIP) gateway provided Global DIRT with internet connectivity, while in transit to ensure coordination between different sites on the Bahamas, the staging area in Florida, and pilots transporting supplies and relief personnel.
Thursday, September 12, Man-O-War Cay
- We setup the GATR 2.4m at a local community center which supported food distribution.
- Global DIRT used a drone to take aerial images of the area and through the GATR internet connection was able to send that data to Nassau where the Bahamian Government and the United Nations were assessing the damage.
Thursday evening, September 12, Marsh Harbor – Government Complex
- Arrived in Great Abaco at sunset and setup a Cubic FLEX antenna at the United Nations Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and installed WiFi at the government facility plaza to establish internet connectivity for first responders. This was a key installation as the EOC coordinates relief efforts across multiple organizations.
Friday, September 13, Marsh Harbor Airport
- I arrived at the airport at 7 a.m. for a return flight home at 10 am. Prior to departure, we set up a GATR 2.4m antenna to provide a WiFi hotspot which enabled the efficient coordination of arrivals, departures and local pick up for all the personnel, equipment and supplies going through the airport.
- That night as I arrived back in FL, the Global DIRT team setup another GATR 2.4m at the UN EOC. Enhancing the communications at the facility.
Overall, our combined team setup up six satellite communications links across the Abacos! An impressive achievement full of late nights, Meal Ready-to-Eat (MRE) meals, sweaty bug filled nights along with a lack of sleep.
The Mission Continues.
On Saturday and Sunday the Global DIRT team continued setups on their own. They checked on existing GATR installations moving some to other locations as the communications needs changed, including a setup at Guana Cay where the WiFi network was able to enhance radio over IP at a community center for Rescue Squad operations.
Reflecting on the Mission.
Our Cubic team is committed and proud to serve in disaster response situations and I am especially thankful and honored to work with my fellow Cubes, Justin, Naven, Edgar, Daniel and John who spent long days supporting the mission from the U.S. It was truly a One Cubic effort.
As we left on Friday and arrived in Ft. Pierce, FL I prayed for those that stayed behind. There is always a personal balance between wanting to stay to ensure the mission continues and getting back to your family, which is your primary mission in life.
In addition to Global DIRT, I’m also grateful to the organizations and volunteers, who:
- Donated a personal truck to provide Global DIRT with a platform for their on-the-move antenna;
- Missionary Flights International (MFI) for inserting equipment and my return flight home;
- The boat operator from Nassau who transported us to Man-O-War Cay; and
- The local Church community who welcomed us and opened their events center for relief communications.
I never regret going and helping. My family understands and hopefully one day my daughters will do the same and not hesitate to help others.
