“Mom, where are you calling from? Your voice is trembling, are you sure everything is alright?”
These were the first words Carmen Hernandez heard after getting through to her son on the phone following the massive earthquake that struck Peru in August 2007.
Mrs Hernandez lived in Pisco, where the quake hit hardest.
“Please keep talking, it’s so good to hear your voice,” she replied.
The huge quake left at least 500 people dead and thousands homeless in the Ica region, south of the capital Lima.
It instantly wiped out electricity, fresh water and communication infrastructures.
But Mrs Hernandez was able to speak to her son in Spain thanks to the work of charity Telecoms Sans Frontieres.
2 Comments
samarajiva
I think it would be more accurate to say that these kinds of services are of value AFTER a disaster event, rather than during one.
Also we need to place these stories in perspective: what percentage of people can and do use these kinds of bespoke services? In Sri Lanka, after the 2004 tsunami, they were marginal. They place western actors on centerstage and therefore get media play. We who are close the ground should be skeptical about these external-actor narratives.
Chanuka
Agree with Rohan that such services are important only after the event, and perhaps their value overhyped.
Nevertheless, it is better to have something than nothing. Not many developing nations can afford the type of technology they bring. If local telecom companies are geared to take such a challenge then perhaps we may not need them.
Rebuilding telecom infrastructure after disaster: Resilience or building back better?
In an article published on 31 December 2025 in the Daily FT, LIRNEasia Chair Professor Rohan Samarajiva highlights how the Ditwah disaster exposed major vulnerabilities in telecom networks. He emphasizes that numerous telecom sites across the country were affected, leaving many districts without mobile or data services for days, which restricted access and delayed restoration efforts.
LIRNEasia Insights on Disaster Management: The Resilience of ICT Infrastructure During Disasters
Natural disasters and humanitarian crises often create disorder and panic. While basic needs such as food, clean water, and shelter often take priority, access to accurate information helps calm societal turbulence.
LIRNEasia’ multidisciplinary work on disruptive innovation
Today, I delivered the keynote at the 9th International Conference on multidisciplinary approaches at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura. Here is on story that I told.
Links
User Login
Themes
Social
Twitter
Facebook
RSS Feed
Contact
9A 1/1, Balcombe Place
Colombo 08
Sri Lanka
+94 (0)11 267 1160
+94 (0)11 267 5212
info [at] lirneasia [dot] net
Copyright © 2026 LIRNEasia
a regional ICT policy and regulation think tank active across the Asia Pacific