Today is

By: Uchenna Ani-okoye

Broadband Internet and Information during Hurricanes

Try to imagine sitting down on your couch in Florida while watching one of the 400 channels on your Direct TV subscription and listening to news on a hurricane which is fast approaching, but it’s still a little too early to determine where exactly it will hit. Then suddenly your signal is interrupted and you no longer have anything; an annoying scenario, I know, however you still have access to the internet via satellite broadband as its appears to be able to get a signal through the thick clouds, so you go to the NOAA website in order to get the latest or you decide to watch video streams of the local TV stations in your area.

Several minutes go past and that goes down, due to the rains that begin to fall, which have more precipitation, and are much thicker with denser clouds making it next to impossible to get a signal. As that happens, the wind in your area begins to pick up, you begin to experience a tropical storm or gale force, but your antenna is find at speeds of up to 55 mph, and even the occasional 70 mph winds without it breaking up, it’s a very strong antenna and you are totally aware of this because of experiences in the past.

Sadly the winds become so fierce that you start to have troubles picking up your local radio stations, you now have no access to the internet, no television, and you are completely clueless of what o do. You thus decide to get up on your roof in order to take down the antenna, known that you are SOL, the moment that you do.