In 2017, unusually heavy rains combined with melting snow and rising tides caused widespread flooding in two of Canada’s largest cities, Ottawa and Montreal. Hundreds of homes were evacuated and thousands of residents were left homeless due to the destruction.

As part of Canada’s natural disaster preparedness program, Operation LENTUS, thousands of troops and hundreds of vehicles were mobilized to assist local authorities. The significant logistical challenges of managing personnel, vehicles, and equipment required a reliable, easy-to-use solution for tracking and communication in unreliable weather conditions.

To monitor and efficiently deploy this asset, the Canadian Department of National Defence (DND) worked with Iridium Partner T24 Defence for connectivity solutions. Service members and vehicles were equipped with the T24 Whisper, which uses Iridium Short Burst Data^® (SBD^®) to track whereabouts and provide back-up emergency communication. 

The Iridium Connected T24 system allowed the operational commander to view all DND assets and make tactical decisions about when and where to deploy troops.

With the ability to quickly deploy and manage troops across locations, the DND was able to monitor 2,600 service members, 400 vehicles, seven helicopters, fifteen small boats, a navy frigate, as well as distribute more than 640,000 sandbags to protect key infrastructure like water treatment facilities, electrical networks, and bridges. Additionally, the troops were able to augment local law enforcement to manage evacuation routes and maintain order for residents.