When Hurricane Maria hit the island of Puerto Rico it wiped out 80% of the telecoms infrastructure.
Most of the copper and fiber was washed out and the majority of cellular towers were severely damaged. Those towers that weren't put out of order suffered from loss of power.
To complicate matters there was widespread and severe damage to the roads making access for repair crews a challenge.
This is the situation that the Disaster Tech Lab team arrived in.
We have been working, with the support of Cambium Networks, on restoring communications where it is needed most. Initially that was the hospitals and clinics in rural areas where we build local WiFi networks backhauled over VSAT terminals.
Our work has now progressed and we have started a project to provide connectivity to 15 aid/rebuilding command centers. To do this we are building a wireless backbone across the island using Cambium's PTP gear.
The work has started in the city of Ponce and is steadily progressing across the island.
As we work exclusively with volunteers we are hoping to interest members of the Cambium Community to volunteer some time and expertise.
DTL will provide flights and accommodation.
Grab this chance to give back to the community and hone your WiFi skills through working on a rewarding but challenging project!
Interested? Send your details (resume and availability) to volunteer@disastertechlab.org
Can't volunteer but still want to support our work? Click this link!
