The greatest volume of rain ever recorded in the history of Brazil caused several landslides and damage in the cities of the north of the state of São Paulo. Now the firefighters are receiving important help from Anatel technicians, who use the cell phone signal to track and rescue survivors and victims of this tragedy.
The searches are being organized by Anatel technicians in conjunction with the Metropolitan Civil Guard of São Paulo after the areas were released for inspection by technicians from the Institute of Environmental Research of the Government of São Paulo.
Alfredo de Andrade Filho, an Anatel inspector, explains how the cell phone signal can be useful in searches:
With our equipment it is possible to receive cell phone signals from people who may be buried at a lower depth. Where the signal is strongest is where there is a cell phone turned on looking for an operator, and then we can indicate to the staff to see with a kennel, smell or smell people who may be buried.
In this way, technicians’ equipment can be used to precisely track where the cell phone signal is coming from, as long as the cell phone is turned on. To facilitate the searches, the police and firefighters advise that the devices be in airplane mode at the time of searches, as other devices can make it difficult to locate buried people.
After locating a signal from a device, the work is passed on to the kennels, as explained by the commander of the GCM/SP kennel, Roberto Araújo Figueiredo:
If there are people and bodies, they will certainly locate and point, due to their keen sense of smell, 25 times more than the human being.
In addition to Anatel technicians, MCom and Telebras provided satellite internet antennas for rescue teams to stay connected in São Sebastião, one of the cities most affected by the rains in the north of São Paulo.
So far, 48 deaths due to rains and landslides have been recorded in the region, 47 of them in São Sebastião and one in Ubatuba, according to Civil Defense data. However, the data are still inaccurate, as Tarcísio de Freitas, governor of the state, had reported 38 victims, while Lieutenant Colonel Hengel Ricardo, stated that there were 57.