Rural Georgia REACH Program Aims to Strengthen Connectivity During Disasters
The Rural Georgia REACH Program is working to provide critical communication support to rural communities during times of natural disaster. The initiative was developed to address a major challenge faced by emergency responders and residents alike: the loss of connectivity when disasters strike. Reliable communication can be the difference between timely assistance and prolonged hardship, especially in rural areas.
We caught up with Dr. Carrie Riddick, a member of the AGL cohort, to learn more about how the Rural Georgia REACH Program came to be and what it aims to accomplish. According to Riddick, the program was created specifically to address communication gaps that become most evident during emergencies.
“The Rural Georgia REACH Program is a program that is going to help address a connection gap that happens especially during times of disaster, kind of where the idea was born,” she explained.
The need for such a program became especially clear during Hurricane Helene. Georgia communities had taken extensive steps to prepare ahead of the storm, but once the hurricane made landfall, communication systems failed in many affected areas.
“So during Hurricane Helene, we saw so much preparation in Georgia in advance of the hurricane. And then once Hurricane Helene hit, communications went down,” Riddick said. “And then we were not able to hear much from the counties that had been affected because they had no way of getting messages out to those that were ready to help.”
In response, members of the AGL cohort began discussing solutions that could provide immediate and reliable connectivity during disasters. That conversation led to the foundation of the Rural Georgia REACH Project.
“The Rural Georgia REACH Project was initially born through an idea,” Riddick said. “Our group had all just talked about having a satellite communication that’s in all the different counties, and then when there’s a disaster that hits, these phones are already set up and in service.”
The goal is to ensure that communication tools are ready before an emergency occurs. With satellite communication available, individuals could travel into affected communities and help residents connect with first responders, emergency resources, and relief agencies such as GEMA and GDA.
Riddick also emphasized the personal importance of connectivity during disasters. “So that ideally a person could go to different communities and make sure that they’re able to get in touch with first responders, that they can get in touch with resources through GEMA or GDA, and then for people to be able to connect with their families to know that they’re safe or that they don’t have any need.”
Support from donors is helping make this vision a reality. Those interested in contributing to the effort can make a donation by visiting georgia4hfoundation.org/rural-georgia-starlink-project. Through continued support, the Rural Georgia REACH Program hopes to strengthen resilience and communication across rural Georgia when it matters most.
Audio Reporting by Dale Sandlin for Southeast AgNet.