Our research is investigating tools for rapid and secure sensor deployment, with special attention to environmental monitoring applications in developing countries. The organization of these tools allows radio coverage prediction that can be achieved on high-performance computers. The simulations based on empirical cellular automata method so that experimental validation is critical for accurate calibration. This paper presents a study on long-range radio communication taking account of terrain effects for disaster and emergency warning networks. The experiments were conducted in Indonesia with good results, both in terms of the simulation software quality and the long distance radio technology ability to cover the needs of alert systems.