Communities Responding to Natural Disasters Through Network Resilience

As local governments begin to look at the communications networks present in their communities, they must not only focus on how to expand them so that all their citizens are connected but develop strategies to ensure that they remain operational under the most stressful conditions. During a natural disaster, cellular and broadband connections are used to get weather updates, procure information regarding evacuations, shelter in place orders, or other governmental alerts that are intended to keep citizens appraised of the current situation. It is time for federal entities to prioritize network resilience planning. Ensuring that citizens have the most basic form of access, even during natural disasters, will increase public safety and prevent much of the anxiety and fear felt by citizens when they cannot reach family, friends, or trusted sources of information during a crisis. Planning for the future is necessary and essential, especially as weather grows more extreme and, nationwide, residents have become increasingly reliant on broadband connectivity for key information.