Question

As a communication engineer what would you do to make sure everyone has cell service during an emergency like hurricane Harvey. Your plan can include a new device to assist in telecommunications or steps that can be taken to reduce the impact of a mass outage after a hurricane.

Answer 1

Good luck !  I am a communications engineer, and I don't have a
nice easy answer for this one.

First of all, you put everything you can underground ... the power
and communications lines in and out of every cell tower.

Then you overbuild and double up on everything possible:

... You put enough batteries inside every cell site building to
operate the site after the commercial power fails.

... Add a rectifier plant to every site.  That does nothing but keep
the batteries charged whenever the power is working.

... Add a generator to every site.  It has to come on automatically
and re-charge the batteries if they run down while the power still
is not back on.

... Build every cell tower three times as strong as it has to be
for normal weather conditions, and twice as strong as it has to
be for high winds.

... Do the same thing for every antenna, on every cell tower,
at every cell site.

And remember:  One cell tower only serves the cell phones that are
within a few miles from it.  In a big city, there may be HUNDREDS of
cell towers.  You have to do the same things to all of them.

(It co$t$ big buck$.)