By Anastassia Roberts, American Red Cross intern

Have you ever wondered what it takes to have American Red Cross emergency shelters up and running during disasters? You may already know that it requires the help of generous donations and dedicated volunteers, but have you thought about how important it is to have functioning power and communication systems?

IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) is the world’s largest technical professional organization with about 425,000 members that supplies aerospace systems, computers, telecommunications, biomedical engineering, electric power, robotics and automation and consumer electronics. Since beginning the MOVE Community Outreach program, IEEE has responded to almost 30 natural disasters, many of which being hurricanes in the Southern United States. IEEE’s dedication to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity aligns with the Red Cross mission to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies, so it’s no wonder that a national partnership began in 2016.

When a Red Cross emergency shelter encountered internet and cell service interruptions during the Border 32 Wildfire in Dulzura, California, IEEE stepped in to help. “The fire started on August 31, and we opened a shelter later that night. We went out there to try and get an internet connection set up, but we struggled. We could not get a reliable internet connection,” said Bob Birch, Disaster Services Technology (DST) Lead for the Red Cross of San Diego and Imperial Counties. A few hours after reaching out to IEEE Representative, Bill Torre, the IEEE disaster relief team appeared on site at the emergency shelter. “They put a big satellite dish on the roof so they could get a signal, and by 3 o’clock, we had strong reliable internet connectivity and voiceover internet protocol,” Bob shared. IEEE supported the Red Cross and provided services to shelter clients. Since then, IEEE has provided Red Cross emergency shelters with power, communications and computer solutions through the MOVE Community Outreach program.

Recently, IEEE launched its third disaster relief vehicle, the MOVE-3, and celebrated the achievement at an event hosted at the Red Cross of San Diego and Imperial Counties Chapter office where the attendees were given tours of the vehicle. “IEEE was very pleased with how it went,” Bob Birch shared, “and we have to Red Cross to thank for such a smooth event.”
These mobile outreach vehicles can be deployed within the continental United States to Red Cross disaster relief operations facilities to provide a communications platform for Red Cross shelter residents or workers as needed. Whereas the MOVE-1 and MOVE-2 vehicles are loaded with equipment that is built-in, the MOVE-3 vehicle has a compartmentalized and rearrangeable setup.

The Red Cross is grateful for the partnership with IEEE to help deliver on the lifesaving mission to alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies.