Already two announcements from Télécoms Sans Frontières in one week regading assisting two countries in emergency situations. Floods in the Philippines and earthquakes in Samoa and the subsequent tsunami, and now the 7.6 earthquake that struck Indonesia on September 30th, off the city of Padang, in the Western coast of Sumatra.

Télécoms Sans Frontières deployed a team of emergency telecommunications' specialists from its international headquarters that will land in Padang and will provide vital and communications support in the affected areas. Groups funded by the UN Foundation and Vodafone Foundation Technology Partnership are deploying in these three ongoing emergencies to provide vital communications services that enable relief workers to deliver food aid and emergency supplies, and affected individuals to make free phone calls to loved ones.

I would say this to me about says it all — I will get on my motorcycle, carry this sign to the grave, bury the person I love and say goodbye. Photos courtesy of Andy HoboTraveler.Com Travel Journal

Phone lines and power would have been cut off in many of the affected areas in Western Sumatra. TSF will run humanitarian calling operations so that those affected can give news to their family and ask for personalized assistance. TSF will also make sure rescue teams have sufficient communication means to respond to the disaster and communicate right at the heart of the affected area. If needed, TSF will install Emergency Communication Centres with a satellite-based Broadband Internet connection, voice communications and all the necessary IT equipment.

UNICEF Tent, I was purposely trying to get the rice and the tent in one photo, as everywhere the farmland is interspersed with the aid tents. The media occupies about 10-15 percent of the tent or land areas. Photos courtesy of Andy HoboTraveler.Com Travel Journal

The World Food Program, the UN's front-line food relief agency, anticipates that this month it will feed 1 million people affected by the tropical storm that hit the Philippines over the weekend. WFP also has an emergency communications team on site to ensure that no relief worker is left unconnected.

Télécoms Sans Frontières, a non-profit group, has deployed to the Philippines as well as to Samoa and the Indonesian island of Sumatra. TSF is providing emergency communications support to UN agencies and "humanitarian calling operations" for people affected by the disasters.

Schools, hospitals and numerous buildings were heavily damaged. There were fires, bridges were cut and there was extreme panic since water pipes were broken and streets were flooded. Indonesian authorities initiated a massive rescue operation after thousands of people were feared trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings and more than 464 confirmed dead following the powerful earthquake, that potentially affected 3.3 million people. Thousands of deaths are likely to be reported.

Groups funded by the UN Foundation and Vodafone Foundation Technology Partnership are deploying in three ongoing emergencies to provide vital communications services that enable relief workers to deliver food aid and emergency supplies, and affected individuals to make free phone calls to loved ones.

A second quake that hit Indonesia today will worsen the situation. The tremor was felt in Singapore, 430 km from the epicenter, forcing the evacuation of several older office buildings. The quake was also felt in Malaysia. In Malaysia's southern coastal city of Johor, citizens fled offices, buildings and shopping centers. Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the so called Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin. TSF’s technical expertise and assistance will facilitate aid coordination, empower relief and rescue teams in order to ensure an efficient global emergency response. Deployed in Indonesia, in the Samoa Islands and the Philippines, the teams support the victims and guarantee solutions that benefit the entire humanitarian community.

The mission is supported by the Vodafone Foundation, the United Nations Foundation, Inmarsat, Eutelsat, Vizada, AT&T, Cable and Wireless, PCCW Global, the Communauté d’Agglomération de Pau, and the Conseil Régional d’Aquitaine. Telecoms Sans Frontieres, a non-profit group, has deployed to the Philippines as well as to Samoa and the Indonesian island of Sumatra. TSF is providing emergency communications support to UN agencies and "humanitarian calling operations" for people affected by the disasters.