The first half of the year in the Northeast is known for the rainy season. In Pernambuco, the heavy rains that hit the metropolitan area of Recife in May this year were one of the biggest tragedies ever recorded in the state, leaving more than 100 dead.

In addition to all the damage to the population, flooding in streets and avenues and the landslides of barriers also affected the optical fiber networks that serve the cities, including the metropolitan network of Recife (ÍCONE), and the state network of Pernambuco (RePEPE). Sections of these networks had disruptions that left some teaching and research institutions, hospitals and public agencies without access to the internet for up to 34 hours.

According to the coordinator of RNP's Point of Presence in Pernambuco, Zuleika Tenório, as some areas were very flooded, it was difficult to get operators and providers to reach the places where the network was damaged to carry out repairs. “Several institutions served had an impact. In addition to the stoppage of activities, some reference hospitals in Recife were without internet access for up to 34 hours”, says Zuleika.

To give you an idea, of more than 40 points connected by the metropolitan network of Recife, 19 institutions were left without connectivity services, including reference hospitals, such as Hospital Getúlio Vargas, which houses the State Department of Health of Pernambuco, and the Hospital da Restauração.

As some of these hospitals are part of the Rede Universitária de Telemedicina (Rute), RNP's collaboration network in Telehealth and Telemedicine, the lack of connection even jeopardized the progress of some Special Interest Groups (SIGs), where health professionals gather to discuss clinical cases in various medical specialties.

The rains hit other cities in Greater Recife, such as Jaboatão dos Guararapes. According to the coordinator of the PoP-PE, Zuleika Tenório, other cities in Pernambuco did not have the connection interrupted due to redundancies in the state of Pernambuco network (RePEPE), which connects 20 municipalities in the state.

Also according to Zuleika, in cases of interruption of connectivity services, RNP acts within the first four hours, opening calls for partner providers and operators, responsible for maintaining the networks, in addition to all the assistance necessary for the local operation. 

The alert continues in Greater Recife, Zona da Mata and Agreste, since in August it rained above normal in the region again, according to the Pernambuco Water and Climate Agency (Apac). Other cities in the Northeast, such as Maceió, also recorded an increase in rainfall. 

If your institution is experiencing connection unavailability, look for our service channels, by email atendimento@rnp.br or telephone 0800 722 0216.