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STORM

SURGE
Cassidians mission-critical communications solutions are used by public
and private sector organisations worldwide to keep people connected
when it matters most. From 9-1-1 call taking to emergency notification
services to Land Mobile Radio (LMR), Cassidian Communications Inc.
helped the Northeastern US survive and recover from Hurricane Sandy,
the deadliest cyclone of 2012.

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They called it the Superstorm. When Hurricane Sandy hit the East
Coast of the US in October last year, it left an unprecedented, costly
and fatal wake of destruction in its path. It put to the test local public safety operations, companies and communities, along with the
mission-critical communications technologies that work to ensure
peoples safety every day.
Incredibly, every solution and service platform we offer was
utilised in some way during Hurricane Sandy and the noreaster,
says Mary Wathen, Chief Operating Officer for Cassidian Communications Critical Communications Solutions and Services division
headquartered in Temecula, California.
Nearly 1,200 of the companys public safety customers are located
in the states directly impacted by the hurricane. Cassidian provides
9-1-1 call taking, emergency notification solutions, and Land Mobile Radio and LTE networks to public safety operations, including
Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) and federal agencies. New
York Citys Mayor Bloomberg reported approximately 10,000 calls
came into the citys PSAPs every half an hour during the height of
the storm.
But Cassidian also serves more than 100 private sector clients
hospitals, banks, law firms in the region as well. For Gary Aydelott,
Cassidians regional account manager, this meant that his customers
were employing their emergency notification systems for business
continuity/disaster recovery (BC/DR) communications, helping ensure the safety of their employees and sustain operations before,
during and after the unprecedented storm.

Response in a time of rapid change

Pretty much everyone I work with in the Northeast was impacted
in some way, says Aydelott, whether it was their building taking
on water, or employees being unable to get into work because of
damage to the roads, transit systems or their own homes.
In New York City, one Japanese bank used Cassidians Inbound
Bulletin Board service to provide employees continuous status updates. A prominent Manhattan law firm used widespread text messages to communicate their emergency notices. And an IT company
for a small hedge fund used the companys emergency notification
solutions to help keep the hedge fund afloat.
What we typically recommend is a combination, Aydelott says.
If youre sent a text and dont acknowledge receipt, the system accounts for this and attempts another contact method. It will be as
aggressive as you set it to be, given the situation.
One financial services company with 2,000 employees and five
offices in the New YorkManhattanNew Jersey area was hit hard.
Before the hurricane made landfall, they activated their emergency
notification system, The Communicator! NXT, alerting people
of impending danger. After safely evacuating employees, their Man-

hattan buildings basement was submerged, and 1.5 metres of water

filled the lobby, mixing with sewage and diesel fuel to create a toxic
flood that released hydrogen gas throughout the structure.
During and after the storm, the company used their system to
account for employees. By sending out calls, texts and emails, they
were able to locate and notify all of their employees and the employees were able to respond, calling into the system to receive status updates.
Clients like this had to deal for the first time with things they
hadnt thought of, says Aydelott, like directing people to branch
offices operating out of hotels, sending out notifications as the situation was changing rapidly and having to wait for missing employees to make it to some place, in some way, where they were able to
get in contact. They really appreciated that their system was available 24 hours a day.

Securing the future

Many of Aydelotts customers have been with the company for at
least six years, and its not the first time that theyve employed their
emergency notification systems so aggressively: from the massive
blackout across the Northeast US and parts of Canada in August
2003 to everyday occurrences in cities like New York burst steam
pipes, construction accidents, labour and transit strikes, broken
elevators in skyscrapers immediate, widespread communication
is always imperative. Its just the frequency of these notices that
changes when the stakes rise.
Cassidians emergency notification systems are vital during a crisis, letting key decision-makers know the true extent of its impact.
From there, strategies can be built around where recovery efforts
most need to be focused. Cassidian Communications Inc. is a global
leader in mission-critical communications solutions, providing these
kinds of value-added products and services to civil and military customers worldwide.
Every one of my clients said our systems worked great. The financial services company was using it four or five times a day. In
fact, five months on, this company has still not returned to its building, and employs Cassidians automated notification solutions daily
to keep their employees informed.
In September 2013, Cassidian Communications Inc. will hold a
summit in Nashville, Tennessee, where clients from all over the
US and abroad can interact with and learn from others who have
employed their emergency notification technologies in high-stakes
situations. Not all of our clients have completed training with their
systems, says Aydelott, which he says proved a challenge to Cassidians tech support during the hurricane. He hopes the summit
will provide further opportunity for the companys clients to sucJess Holl
cessfully weather the next storm.

New Yorks Public Safety Answering

Points received 20,000 calls an
hour during Hurricane Sandy

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