When a cut fiber optic cable severed communications on Hatteras Island, the prepared North Carolina community was quick to respond, Although the cause of the disturbance remains under investigation, the Island Free Press reports that the Dare County Emergency Management team already had a plan in place to address this sort of problem.
Six fire stations on the island had Compact Rapid Deployables (CRDs) ready to deploy once the outages were reported. The CRDs are akin to mini-COWS (Cell Towers on Wheels). While the communications lines were inoperable, the CRDs are put in service to keep emergency responders connected via WiFi. Each CRD has a range of two miles, with the six units able to cover all of Hatteras Island.
In addition, three mobile hotspots were set up for public use. The locations provide a Starlink connection that ensures that no one will be digitally stranded. The hotspots also provide user-friendly instructions explaining how to coordinate with the Starlink system.
The outage that began on Tuesday afternoon was repaired and back in operation by late Tuesday evening, according to the Island Free Press.
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