Inveneo Launches Response to Super Typhoon Haiyan
Super Typhoon Haiyan battered Tacloban city, central Philippines November 10, 2013. (Reuters/Romeo Ranoco)
In the wake of Super Typhoon Haiyan (locally Yolanda), Inveneo is sending a team to assess the damages and aid in recovery efforts. The initial assessment team includes CTO Andris Bjornson and Senior Systems Architect Clark Ritchie. Executive Director Bruce Baikie recently returned from the Philippines after an ICT-related assessment north of Manila, working with partner UMCOM to create their typhoon response plan. Baikie has led Inveneo’s rapid response and the assessment team left the US the morning of November 15th.
“Our initial priority is to get our assessment team on the ground,” said Baikie. “In responses situations like this plans can change quickly; we’re already working with partners on the ground to determine where our team will be most effective.”
Deploying ICT in disaster response situations is nothing new for Inveneo. In 2010 our team responded to the Haitian earthquake, building a network that today covers roughly 30% of the country and is used by two major telecoms. Restoring robust communications infrastructure quickly is valuable to residents of affected areas as well as aid organizations coordinating their response efforts.
“Our main focus after a natural disaster is restoring communications to responders,” said Aaron Mason, Inveneo’s Sr. Communications Manager. “Our team is working to make sure that organizations on the ground have the communications tools they need to effectively coordinate their response.”
Inveneo is currently soliciting donations to help assess and rebuild communications infrastructure in areas affected by Super Typhoon Hiayan. For more information or to support our efforts visit https://inveneo.org/donate
- Posted by Aaron Mason on November 15, 2013 in the categories: News
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