The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration expanded use of "Chatty Beetle" devices, among other things, to help with communications issues cause by a south Pacific eruption in January, according to a more recent news release.
The Chatty Beetles, portable iridium satellite terminals that can get text-based alerts and messaging in remote locations through in situations where communication options are limited, were deployed during the eruption. Chatty Beetles at Fiji Meteorological Service and the Weather Service Office in Pago Pago, American Samoa, linked with Chatty Beetles in Tonga provided weather information and weather observations, according to a Monday, Feb. 7 news release.
A "Chatty Beetle" of the type used to facilitate communications after the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcanic eruption
| NOAA.gov - University Corporation of Atmospheric Research
"Chatty Beetles are only one part of NOAA’s continuing contributions to the tsunami response," the news release said. "NOAA’s Pacific Tsunami Warning Center directly serves the Hawaiian Islands, the U.S. Pacific and Caribbean territories, the British Virgin Islands and is the primary international forecast center for the Pacific and Caribbean Basins."
Chatty Beetles were among the first successful communications devices used after the eruption, used to key agencies that the usual communication networks were down in Tonga. The devices also passed on the news that Tonga Meteorological Service staff and their families were safe.
The International Tsunami Information Center (ITIC), which is a partnership between NOAA and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, also facilitates communications at times at times when communication is difficult.
Tonga’s Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano began to erupt on Jan. 15, sending plumes so large they could be sent from space and triggering tidal waves across the Pacific Ocean.
"Some forms of communications in the region were sent into the dark, too," the news release said. "The eruption broke an underwater communications cable, leaving most of the island nation without internet access and other forms of communication."
Since the eruption, NOAA has been working with Tonga's government to vamp up the nation's remote emergency communications systems and set up emergency tsunami alert protocols in case of a similar situation. Tsunami check-in calls with Tonga's meteorological services began about 10 days later and now are happening daily.
"Additionally, the ITIC is assisting Tonga by coordinating support and expertise, as well as to ensure the appropriate systems and important actions are able to be supported," the news release said. "These efforts will also help to ensure that other important considerations are not overlooked and response efforts are not duplicated."
