The Holiday Farm Fire thrashed telecommunications all across the McKenzie River Corridor, robbing residents of wi-fi and cell phone service. But a special effort has temporarily restored those essential needs.
A band of volunteers with the group, Oregon Internet Response, donated time, equipment, and other resources to establish a wireless network for affected areas recently.
One volunteer is Adam Johnson. He recalls setting up a site near Rainbow, which required ten people to hike a mile in during harsh conditions.
“We hauled up radios, an enclosure, a set of batteries, big car batteries, built a solar array up there," Johnson told KLCC. "And (laughs) coincidentally enough it was 43 degrees and raining sideways, the whole time but we were able to accomplish it and we were extremely excited.”
Johnson says the plan is to keep cell phone and wi-fi services established until the regular providers come back and permanently restore their infrastructure. He says that could take up to a year.
Copyright 2020, KLCC.
