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It's tempting to interpret this as a proxy for over-all damage but it's perhaps a bit unwise to do so. Alternative possibilities are that internet related infra
by staplung 2y ago
It's tempting to interpret this as a proxy for over-all damage but it's perhaps a bit unwise to do so. Alternative possibilities are that internet related infra (power lines, cell towers, roof-mounted dishes, etc.) was disproportionally damaged or that cities in the projected path saw a lot of evacuations. Of course all of these things could be true at the same time. It's an interesting way to try to assess damage in any case because it's automagically collected; you don't need to wait for people on the ground to report damage. So here's hoping that a) those affected can get back on their feet quickly and b) there's some follow-up to see how useful this data was as a proxy for assitance needs.
- mlyle 2y agoThere's probably better figures. Internet providers themselves probably know what subscribers dropped at what times, so you'd be able to distinguish from evacuations and have a good signal as to whether it happened from power outages or key pieces of their infrastructure failing. It would be really neat to figure out the cooperation necessary to effectively use it. Rapid damage assessment has a ton of value even if the data is somewhat unreliable.
- dotancohen 2y agoEvacuations are, unfortunately, often accompanied by tweets. As early as 2012 or 2014 a team I was on was able to localize the epicenter of an earthquake by examining the Twitter fire hose, half an hour before the earthquake was announced on any of the major news networks.
- ineedaj0b 2y agowe try not to use our phones - if the power goes out, you can't charge again for how long? You never know. another problem are power flickers. a short flicker resets modems and routers. so you read a book or talk rather than waste battery
- dotancohen 2y ago> so you read a book or talk rather than waste battery OK, I'm convinced. Next hurricane I'm traveling to Florida with the kids!
- bravetraveler 2y agoOne of my better memories is from being stuck in FL during a hurricane. Get there in advance
- linotype 2y agoThere are pretty much constantly deals for battery backups from companies like Jackery and Bluetti that can run modems and routers for many hours for under $300.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- linotype 2y agoOk why is this being downvoted? Isn’t this helpful info?
- Retric 2y agoOne of my go to power outage devices is a cheap car jump starter with USB charging. 50$ and you can run a cellphone with wireless hotspot and a tablet for days and it’s far less of a hassle than jumper cables. Actually having solar or a generator is definitely a good idea for homes, but apartments also lose power.
- InvaderFizz 2y agoI spend most of my time in the path of hurricanes, we lose power 5-10x per year for between 1 to 8 hrs on average. When we lose power the battery backup for the modem takes over(15hrs runtime), and we have other portable batteries to recharge our phones multiple times. If things get really bad, we can pull out the camping solar panels and keep the phones charged. At that point, I expect the fiber will be down anyways and cell service is probably all that would be available. Works quite well. I can usually still complete my work day on my laptop without issue.
- dotancohen 2y agoMany science fiction works begin with the premise "we've lost contact with the colony". It's a clear signal that something is amiss. LV426