MOVE USA OCT 2026 Tech Talk - IEEE MOVE After Hurricane Maria

#training, #MOVE #disaster #USA #STEM

80 Days in Puerto Rico: IEEE MOVE After Hurricane Maria

In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico faced widespread destruction of its electric power, communications, transportation, and other critical infrastructure. With conventional communications disrupted across much of the island, reconnecting people with their loved ones presented an urgent challenge.

On November 24, 2017, IEEE MOVE volunteer Tim Forrest, CET, deployed to Puerto Rico to support disaster-relief operations. He remained on the island until February 8, 2018, helping pioneer a mobile approach to disaster communications and Red Cross reunification.

The mission took satellite communications directly to the communities that needed them. Portable VSAT satellite systems, on loan from the International Red Cross, were transported to different locations across Puerto Rico, often on a daily basis, to support Red Cross reunification efforts. Each morning began with loading the VSAT, generator, gasoline, communications equipment, food, water—and the people themselves—into vehicles for another day in the field.

At each destination, the team had to find a suitable location with a clear view of the satellite, establish communications, and support Red Cross personnel working with community members seeking to reconnect with loved ones. At day's end, the equipment was dismantled, packed, returned, refueled, and prepared for deployment to another community. This early mobile-VSAT approach helped establish a model for future disaster-response deployments.

The work depended on far more than satellite technology. Tim worked alongside Puerto Rico Cruz Roja personnel, American Red Cross volunteers deployed from across the United States, local volunteers, and community members. IEEE MOVE volunteer Steve Kemp later joined the effort, working alongside Tim on field deployments throughout the island.

Through photographs, video, firsthand observations, and stories drawn from nearly 80 days in Puerto Rico, Tim will take the audience from San Juan headquarters into mountain towns, coastal communities, schools, plazas, roadsides, and remote locations where communications infrastructure had been damaged or was simply unavailable. Along the way, he will share the realities of difficult roads, damaged infrastructure, transportation challenges, equipment repairs, warehouse operations, and the constant improvisation required to keep the mission moving.

More than a story about satellite equipment, this is a firsthand account of what happens when critical infrastructure disappears and communities must find new ways to communicate. It reveals how technology, teamwork, local knowledge, ingenuity, and human resilience can overcome extraordinary obstacles—and how restoring a connection can mean far more than restoring communications.

George Timothy “Tim” Forrest

Biography:

George Timothy “Tim” Forrest, CET is an IEEE Life Senior Member and longtime IEEE MOVE volunteer with more than five decades of experience in electronics, avionics, communications, radar, and air-traffic-control systems. Tim served in the United States Marine Corps from 1969 to 1977, working in aviation electronics, maintenance, and quality assurance. He continued his federal career supporting aviation electronics and air-traffic-control systems, ultimately serving as a division supervisor before retiring after 35 years of federal service. Retirement did not end his technical work. Tim subsequently worked overseas in Iraq supporting air-traffic-control and communications systems and in Afghanistan supporting aviation-related technical operations. Tim became involved with IEEE MOVE disaster response in 2016.  Following Hurricane Maria, he deployed to Puerto Rico from November 24, 2017, through February 8, 2018, working with American Red Cross volunteers, Puerto Rico Cruz Roja personnel, local partners, and fellow IEEE MOVE volunteer Steve Kemp. Much of the mission involved taking portable satellite communications from community to community to support Red Cross reunification operations where normal communications infrastructure was unavailable.  Tim received the 2019 IEEE Region 3 Outstanding Service Award for his work with IEEE MOVE. He continues to share his technical and field experience through education and public service, including FAA Part 107 unmanned-aircraft instruction at Craven Community College in North Carolina.