ICTs for Hurricane Relief in Haiti

September 27, 2008

At left is the city of Gonaives in northern Haiti. As you can see, it's mostly underwater. Not surprising, as it's been hit by four hurricanes this season, and that's just so far. It's one of the worst affected parts of the country. Word on the ground is that everything, and I mean everything, has turned to mud. And it rains everyday, so the problems are compounded. Tens of thousands are without homes, living in shelters. The United Nations, which has dozens of agencies on the ground assisting, is worried now about outbreaks of infectious diseases due to poor sanitation, and about making sure everyone is fed.

Gonaives might be the last place you'd expect to find a makeshift cybercafe. And yet, that was one of the first of the UN's priorities. "Email and cell phones are not luxuries." That's what Claire Thwaites, head of the UN Foundation-Vodafone Foundation Technology Partnership told me in a telephone interview recently. "UN agencies have to talk, to communicate, to coordinate a disaster response and save lives.

The UN and Vodafone have partnered with a group called Telecoms Sans Frontieres (TSF) to quickly get telecommunications up and running in Gonaives. TSF is a group based in France that deploys teams to countries and regions facing emergency situations. Think Doctors without Borders, only for computer, networking and telecommunications specailists.

In the case of Haiti, TSF set up satellite broadband, laptops, printers and scanners for UN personnel within 20 minutes of hitting the ground in Gonaives. Oisin Walton, who is on the ground for TSF in Gonaives, told me that "our equipment weighs less than 500 pounds all together, so we're light, mobile, and get set up in a matter of minutes."

TSF isn't just supporting the UN in Gonaives. The group also goes from shelter to shelter, offering free, three minute calls (national or international) to anyone affected by the hurricane. Most Haitians choose to contact relatives in the United States and ask for financial assistance. Walton told me that there is no exact time table for when TSF might leave Gonaives. He noted that there's still a sizable chunk of the hurrican season left.

This story really highlights alot of reporting I've done over the years on the importance of ICT in emergency situations. Mark Phillips, who is coordinating World Food Program and inter-UN agency ICT in Port-au-Prince, told me that the first thing he sets up is a secure independent radio communications network for UN staff. Then, he said, he concentrates on getting computer networks and the Internet up and running.

"It's all part of our normal business environment," Phillips told me. "How else are relief workers supposed to order food, check medical supplies, or coordinate travel?"

(Top pic courtesy of World Food Program, taken by Ryan Twittey)
(Bottom pic courtesy of Telecoms Sans Frontieres)