Puerto Rico Earthquakes 2019 - 2020
In our experience
the most useful pieces of heavy equipment after a disaster are
trucks (to haul supplies or people), buses (to haul people),
bulldozers for road repairs, burials and rubble removal, road graders
for road repairs, cement trucks, fuel trucks, water trucks, fire
fighting equipment and backhoes. In most cases a government needs to
track not just the location of the equipment, but operating status,
fuel availability and operator requirements.
If a government
has a first responders database that contains contact information,
specialties, current location and lists of pending assignments, it is
still necessary to have some reliable method of communicating with the
first responders. As noted elsewhere, this communication should
probably NOT depend on ordinary cellular phones or internet
connections.
Helicopters after a disaster can be more
precious than rubies. However, it must be noted that helicopters
require specialized pilots, skilled mechanics and fuel. There are also
limitations imposed by hurricane winds, volcanic ash and smoke from
fires. Helicopters are the transportation mode of choice when one must
move rescue and recovery personnel (especially when roads are
out); evacuate survivors for medical treatment and haul supplies.
There is currently considerable debate about the relative
effectiveness of satellites versus reconnaissance drones versus manned
helicopters in terms of making assessments. We would recommend
investigating the practicality of using military personnel and
military surveillance equipment after a disaster. One suggestion to be
considered is to agree to color coding of flags such that, for
example, a white bedsheet means people are present and are okay; a red
blanket means need food; a yellow cloth means need medical attention
and a blue material means need water.
Recommendations - Heavy equipment,
first responders and helicopters