A BGAN-powered emergency telecoms kit helped save lives when The Philippines was hit by the first typhoon this season. Having the kit - one of 10 donated to the Philippines National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) - ready to hand meant rescuers could immediately be directed to the areas most badly affected by Typhoon Conson, which swept over the archipelago on 13 July.
Power and terrestrial communications were lost in several regions as torrential rain caused widespread flooding, killing at least 79 people and affecting more than 240,000 members of the population.
Search and rescue
The emergency communications kit was deployed on 14 July at the regional disaster coordinating centre in Laguna to maintain contact with search and rescue teams working to find and help survivors on Polilio Island.
Frederic Bragas, information and communications technology officer for the NDCC in Laguna, who was trained to use the kit by Inmarsat-sponsored aid agency Télécoms Sans Frontières (TSF), also reported that over 200 emails of alerts, situation reports and weather bulletins were sent via BGAN in one single day.
The 10 communications kits were donated to the NDCC in April this year to build local capacity to respond to emergencies.
ECHO project
Each contains satellite terminals, data transmitters to establish internet connections, IT equipment and a solar-based power box.
Twenty seven satellite phones were also donated as part of a project funded by the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Department (ECHO).
"In a country affected by more than 20 tropical storms and typhoons every year, this system is proving crucial to the NDCC - the Philippines's emergency management and coordination body," said TSF spokesman Myriam Annette.
Rapid deployment
"The objective of TSF and the European Commission is to build a network of equipped professionals able to rapidly deploy communications in emergencies.
"It also aims at facilitating information flow from local to national level and maintaining contact with the remotest areas of the archipelago to increase the efficiency of rescue coordination.
"With reliable communications, decision-makers at the NDCC can also communicate crucial information to partner organisations such as the government, United Nations and NGOs and therefore better address the needs of those affected."
