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Katrina Leaves Wireless Industry Better Prepared for Next Disaster
By: Mary Lou Jay
Through its heroic efforts before, during and after Hurricane Katrina, the wireless community learned a great deal about disaster response. Now it is applying that knowledge to shape its plans for future emergencies. “If the same storm struck today, we would be in much better shape,” says Tony Kent, senior vice president of engineering and network operations, Cellular South. “We were well prepared for Katrina, but there were tremendous lessons learned, and we will be better prepared for the next one.”
Pre-Katrina readiness
Wireless companies had been analyzing and refining their disaster preparedness and response plans long before Katrina struck. After the busy 2004 hurricane season, for example, Sprint Nextel, decided it needed more detailed weather forecasting and hired a private service to provide it. Armed with more specific information about expected strike zones, the company could better pre-position resources for Katrina, says John Taylor, Public Affairs Manager, Sprint Nextel. “Our people were ready to go in at a moment’s notice after winds had died down and floodwaters had receded.”
“Prior to Katrina, we had business unit recovery plans as well as very robust crisis management plans and a crisis management team for each region,” says Tina Brown, Director, Continuity Services and Crisis Management, Cingular Wireless. “We had conducted exercises, and everybody was very familiar with their role and how the communications process would work.”
Carriers built cell sites to withstand hurricane force winds and installed antennas on buildings, water towers, and other permanent structures for added structural integrity. To keep the sites running during power outages, they installed hundreds of permanent generators and bought additional temporary generators as well.
As Katrina threatened, companies made preparations for the type of storm they usually faced. No one expected such widespread devastation. “It was a vast geographic area that was impacted – equal to 90,000 sq. miles – about the size of Great Britain, or of Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Maryland combined,” notes Taylor.
“Katrina was the toughest disaster we’ve ever had in terms of scale and scope and duration,” agrees Hans Leutenegger, Verizon Wireless’ Vice President, Network South Area.
