Trans-System Ruptures and Wireless Solutions

Abstract

ABSTRACT August 14, 2003, a massive power outage cascades through the Northeastern region of North America becoming the largest blackout in the region's history affecting over 50 million people and costing an estimated 4–10 billion US dollars. December 26, 2004, a tsunami triggered by two undersea earthquakes on the Sumatra-Andaman fault-line results in an estimated 300,000 deaths across five regions. August 23 and 29, 2005, the southeastern coast of the United States was hit by Hurricane Katrina, labeled as the most destructive and expensive disasters in US history. The perceived increase in the frequency of disasters over the recent years has prompted increased focus in the development of disaster resilient telecommunication networks. This paper provides an overview of how current telecommunications infrastructure functions during disasters, specifically how it ruptures and the impact it has on post-disaster recovery efforts. Further, the paper investigates possible attempts with wireless technology to prepare the telecommunications infrastructure for crisis communications.