Storm Left Wide Swath Of Florida A Communications Dead Zone
Faizan Hashmi Published October 14, 2018 | 09:06 AM
Panama City, United States, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Oct, 2018 ) :Since Hurricane Michael roared through on Wednesday, a wide swath of Florida's northwest coast has been without telephone or internet service, adding to the daunting challenges facing residents, loved ones trying to reach them, and the work crews struggling to bring them relief.
"We have had some sites come back in service following the restoration of fiber links," cable operator Verizon said in a statement Friday. It has deployed five mobile cell sites with satellite connections "to assist with recovery efforts" while full service is restored.
But in Michael's devastated wake, and with tens of thousands still without electricity or electronic communications, those five sites have made only a modest dent.
A wide coastal zone between Panama City and the much smaller town of Mexico Beach, 25 miles (40 kilometers) to the southeast, remains cut off.
In Mexico Beach, which suffered the full wrath of Michael's intense winds and catastrophic storm surges, rescue teams have no choice but to rely on satellite phones. An emergency communications tower has been installed for their exclusive use.
The town has been placed on lockdown, with no one but residents allowed to enter. People arriving on the scene to check on friends or relatives or offer their assistance have been stopped at police blockades, unable to get through.
- 'Everything has shut down' - The situation in Panama City varies -- communications are better in the city's western neighborhoods than in its east -- and even there signals are patchy.
"We have no cell," said Mark Bateman, associate pastor of St. Andrew Baptist Church, in an unassuming western neighborhood.
"AT&T and Verizon (the area's two big telecom operators) don't work." "We have barely any way to communicate with our ... 800 members," he said. "Some have evacuated, and we have been messaging back and forth with OnStar (the car-based emergency communication and navigation system). We also checked door-to-door in the neighborhood." Two blocks away, Daniel Fraga, an electrician, said he has only an extremely weak and intermittent signal. To reassure family members who had evacuated to the neighboring state of Alabama, he turned to a friend with a stronger signal.
"Basically everything has shut down," he said, adding that there are "too many people on the same service." - Neighbors helping neighbors - A neighbor, Twyla Williams, is surviving without running water along with her diabetic husband and her eldest son, a teenager. Other families had fled to Mississippi.
"My customers have been checking on me," said Williams, who works for an architectural blueprint firm.
"One of them just pulled up to give us Gatorade, water, some food." But with no Verizon signal, she said she used another carrier to log onto Facebook and let relatives know her family was safe.
The city's emergency services say they have received thousands of calls from people desperate for news of loved ones. But they too are struggling with little or no service.
At nearby Tyndall Air Force Base, on the coast between Panama City and Mexico Beach, the army has set up a dedicated website for those "who are worried about someone."Tyndall, which itself suffered serious damage both to its facilities and to warplanes parked on its tarmac, is forwarding requests to local agencies.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
PTI to stage nationwide protests against alleged electoral frauds
Senate continues discussion on Presidential address to Joint Sitting of Parliame ..
Masood Khan calls for Pak-US cooperation for regional peace
Interior Minister starts Margalla Trail Patrol for security
Currency Rate In Pakistan - Dollar, Euro, Pound, Riyal Rates On 26 April 2024
Today Gold Rate in Pakistan 26 April 2024
ICC Womens T20 World Cup Qualifier, Match 2: Ireland Women open with Comfortable ..
Robinson, bowlers help New Zealand go 2-1 up against Pakistan
Shahzeb Chachar to hold khuli kachehri on April 26
Heatwave amid Israel's aggression in Gaza brings new misery, disease risk
Tourism must change, mayor says as Venice launches entry fee
Court adjourns Judicial Complex attack case till May 17
More Stories From World
-
China's EV execs bullish on Western pressure at Beijing car show
3 minutes ago -
EU toughens rules on fashion retailer Shein
3 minutes ago -
Xi meets U.S. secretary of state in Beijing
13 minutes ago -
Ukrainian minister detained over suspected corruption: prosecutors
13 minutes ago -
Golf: PGA Zurich Classic of New Orleans scores
23 minutes ago -
Pilot seriously injured after vintage plane crash in Western Australia
43 minutes ago
-
Iron ore futures close higher
53 minutes ago -
Tabloid head wanted to 'protect' Trump from salacious stories
53 minutes ago -
Kenyan rugby player turned TikTok star cooks to fight depression
1 hour ago -
Guangdong carbon market closes higher
1 hour ago -
Sugar futures close higher
1 hour ago -
Nuggets push Lakers to brink as Embiid's 50 points lead Sixers over Knicks
1 hour ago