Natural disasters put enormous strain on 911 networks. Legacy systems often struggle to keep pace as calls flood in, and can even fail. The ESInet, the foundation of Next Generation 911, was designed to withstand these conditions. With built-in redundancy, interoperability, and intelligent call routing, the ESInet keeps emergency services connected. Let’s take a look at how legacy 911 networks compare to the ESInet of Next Generation 911 in a disaster scenario.

Disaster Scenario: Hurricane Ryan Hits the Florida Coast (for illustrative purposes only)

Hurricane Ryan hits the coast of Florida with wind speeds of 140 mph. Entire neighborhoods lose power and flooding calls for mass evacuations in the area.

Population impacted: 1.2 million residents

Peak storm surge: 12 feet

911 call surge: Triple the daily call volume within 24 hours

In a hurricane of this magnitude, legacy 911 networks would likely have gone down. The community would have seen power outages, damaged infrastructure, and overloaded call volumes. They would experience delayed responses, stranded callers, and critical gaps in communication. This cannot happen in an emergency.

The ESInet’s Role in Disaster Response

As Hurricane Ryan hit, the ESInet would keep public safety answering points connected. Even during the surge of calls, the system would remain resilient. With redundant routing, multiple data pathways, and IP-based flexibility, emergency calls would automatically be redirected to available PSAPs. The ESInet ensures uninterrupted service, faster response times, and live telecommunicators, without delays or busy signals.

The next role the ESInet plays in disaster response is geographic redundancy. The dual, geographically separated network paths ensure no single point of failure. Even when one data center loses power, redundant systems keep the ESInet fully operational with capacity to serve emergencies.

In addition to call resiliency and geographic redundancy, the ESInet also supports NG911’s ability to handle multimedia. The ESInet enables residents to send text, photos, and videos directly to 911 during disasters. These real-time visuals give telecommunicators and first responders critical situational awareness which improves decision-making and the speed of support.

Lastly, the ESInet provides precise location accuracy. ESInet pinpoints locations during an emergency using multiple data sources, even when GPS signals are weak. Emergency responders will get to families faster than any legacy system would support.

What’s the Outcome and Impact of the ESInet in an Emergency?

With ESInet and Next Generation 911 Core Services, 911 services stay operational even when infrastructure is damaged. This means uninterrupted access for residents, faster and more accurate dispatching, and less stress on telecommunicators who can trust calls won’t be dropped or congested. The ESInet delivers better outcomes in real emergencies.

What Lessons Have We Learned from the ESInet?

First and foremost, redundancy isn’t optional, it’s life-saving. The ESInet’s multiple network paths prevent 911 service outages during a storm. Second, scalability matters. Call surges are absorbed without overwhelming the system. Lastly, multimedia messages give responders “eyes on the ground” before they arrive at a scene.

Natural disasters will always test community resilience, but 911 services should not fail. Instead, it should adapt, route around obstacles, and ensure every call for help is answered.

Is your PSAP ready for the next storm? Contact Synergem to learn more about the ESInet and the upgrade to Next Gen 911 so you can keep your community connected when it matters the most.