Internet + satellite phones = emergency relief

Mona Zughbi Reporter • E-mail

This year’s hurricanes made it crystal clear: Whether it be a natural disaster like the one wreaked by Katrina along the Gulf Coast or an act of terrorism that destroys the infrastructure of a whole community, communication is critical for an effective emergency response.

Officials at every level — from local emergency workers to state and federal personnel — have to react in a coordinated manner via a communication network that is available when phones and computers go down.

And that really only means one thing: satellite phones. As demonstrated in the aftermath of Katrina, satellite technology, both as used by TV networks and individual users, was the only reliable means of communication when everything else was knocked out.

Problem is, satellite phones are fine for one-to-one communication, but less good when it comes to developing the networks necessary to effective emergency management.

And that’s where Emil Innocenti comes in. Seeing these problems, the New Jersey-based textile dealer and music producer decided to take the time out of his day job to come up with a solution. The result:  a combination of satellite technology and the Internet called the Emergency Response Information Network (E.R.I.N.), a platform for schools, municipalities and businesses to use in emergency situations.

One-stop shopping information center
"The thought occurred to me after 9/11,” Innocenti said. “If land lines and cellular went down, how would the school my daughter was attending be able to communicate with the outside world? Would they be able to contact emergency services if they needed assistance?

“The answer was they could not, and even if they had the foresight to own a satellite phone.”

What the E.R.I.N. system does is couple the vast information resources of the Internet with a satellite phone system to create an emergency response tool.

The E.R.I.N. system includes real-time weather radar and warnings, coastal and hurricane conditions, real time air traffic and public transit conditions, live radio and web-TV news, as well as a multitude of government agency contacts on its Web site.

“The ERIN Network and its peripheral services are triple-redundant and reach out to back up servers out of the country," Innocenti said.

In an emergency, a satellite phone user can link into the network to get up-to-date information. It also provides the ability to organize conference calls, live chats or Web conferencing.

"It's great, it consolidates many links to one site,” said Rus Lefkus, the senior supervisor for safety and loss prevention with Wakefern Foods, owner of 190 ShopRite grocery stores in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut.

“E.R.I.N. gives you most of your contacts, whether it be transit, or OEM (Office of Emergency Management), plus Homeland Security, FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) or the Center for Disease Control. It's one stop shopping for emergency information," Lefkus said.

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