02 October 2017: When the Caribbean was hit with a second category five hurricane within weeks, Inmarsat-sponsored Télécoms Sans Frontières (TSF) was on the ground in Dominica to provide emergency telecoms support.

Hurricane Maria hit landfall on 19 September and with Dominica bearing the full force of its 160mph winds, TSF installed an Inmarsat Global Xpress (GX) terminal in the capital city of Roseau to ensure that vital connectivity was available for the relief community across the city.

International relief teams from France, Cuba and Venezuela have been utilising the high-speed capacity of GX to coordinate relief efforts. In just over a week, 72GB of data has been transferred via the network to help distribution coordination, provision of relief supplies and the mobilisation of logistics to reach the more remote areas of the country.

Reconnecting communities

As a key player in the national relief mechanism, TSF has been included in the Dominican Government’s plan to improve coordination through reinforced communication and its team will be working alongside the authorities to dispatch Inmarsat IsatPhone handheld satellite phones to help with the flow of information.

TSF has also been working hard to help reconnect the local community, carrying out calling operations in the town for families who have not yet been able to contact their relatives.