Full Notification

After a major disaster, it can often be difficult to communicate with loved ones. Hurricanes, tornadoes and other emergencies can cause power outages and result in overwhelmed cellular services, sometimes making normal lines of communication nearly impossible. 

BEFORE A DISASTER STRIKES 
The Federal Communications Commission offers suggestions on how to prepare to communicate, before disaster even strikes: 

Make an emergency contact list. Keep an updated emergency contact list on your cell phone (e.g., police and fire agencies, power companies, insurance providers, co-workers, friends, family, etc), and store a hard copy on or near your home phone. Include at least one out-of-town contact in case the disaster is widespread; and consider adding a few names under the listing “ICE” (In Case of Emergency) on your cell phone. Many emergency responders are trained to look for this in the event that you’re physically unable to use your phone. 

Keep a non-cordless phone at home. If you have a traditional landline at home — one that isn’t cable- or internet-based — make sure you have at least one corded phone connected; in the event that there’s a power outage, your cordless model, which requires electricity, will not work. 

Subscribe to text alerts. Subscribe to text-based weather alerts to stay updated on inclement weather, and reach out to local government and school officials to find out about other emergency alerts available in your community. 

Keep car chargers handy. Get in the habit of keeping your cellphone’s batteries fully charged, and keep car 

chargers available in the event of a power outage. You might also consider buying additional batteries and solar or hand-powered chargers for your devices. 

Because your loved ones may be separated when disaster strikes, make sure to also develop a communication plan that’s specific to your family. 

Ready.gov recommends identifying a designated neighborhood meeting place and an out-of-neighborhood meeting place, and detailing how you plan to contact each other (for instance, designate an out-of-town contact for everyone to notify that they’re safe, or set an “on air” time where you’ll each power up your phones and call or text with your status). It’s also a good idea to work with your children’s school or daycare to understand their emergency communication procedures. 

DURING AND AFTER A DISASTER 
There are also important steps you can take to improve the likelihood of communicating with loved ones during a disaster, and in the immediate aftermath: 

Call, don’t text, 911. If you have a life-threatening emergency, you should dial, not text, 9-1-1. Emergency systems are not currently set up to receive 911 texts, the FCC says. 

Text and use social media. Cell service can become congested during an emergency. Instead, try text messaging or emailing, which, the FCC says, are services that are less likely to experience network congestion. Also, consider posting your status on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, or registering on the American Red Cross’ Safe and Well website, so that loved ones who may be searching for you know that you’re OK. 

Forward your home phone. If you have a land line and call-forwarding at home, Verizon Wireless suggests forwarding your home phone number to your cellphone if you’ll be away, or if conditions warrant an evacuation. 

Conserve cell battery life. You can extend the life of your cellphone battery charge by reducing the brightness of your screen, turning off Wi-Fi service (unless a cellular signal isn’t available), closing apps that aren’t critical, and putting your phone in airplane mode. Additionally, if you’re able to make a call, consider updating your voice mail message so that, even if inbound calls go to voice mail, you’re able to offer loved ones an update on your well-being. 

Practicing these tips can help you stay informed, in touch and safe throughout an emergency. If a disaster results in normal modes of communication going down, you’ll be glad you took the time to be prepared. 

Before a Disaster: How to Prepare Your Home and Mobile Device 
Maintain a list of emergency phone numbers in your cell phone and in or near your home phone. 
Keep charged batteries and car-phone chargers available for back-up power for your cell phone. 
If you have a traditional landline (non-broadband or VOIP) phone, keep at least one non-cordless phone in your home because it will work even if you lose power. 

Prepare a family contact sheet. This should include at least one out-of-town contact that may be better able to reach family members in an emergency. 

Program “In Case of Emergency” (ICE) contacts into your cell phone so emergency personnel can contact those people for you if you are unable to use your phone. Let your ICE contacts know that they are programmed into your phone and inform them of any medical issues or other special needs you may have. 
If you are evacuated and have call-forwarding on your home phone, forward your home phone number to your cell phone number. 

If you do not have a cell phone, keep a prepaid phone card to use if needed during or after a disaster. 
Have a battery-powered radio or television available (with spare batteries). 
Subscribe to text alert services from local or state governments to receive alerts in the event of a disaster. Parents should sign up for their school district emergency alert system. 

During and After a Disaster: How to Reach Friends, Loved Ones & Emergency Services 
If you have a life-threatening emergency, call 9-1-1. Remember that you cannot currently text 9-1-1. If you are not experiencing an emergency, do not call 9-1-1. Altadena Sheriff’s Station non-emergency phone (626) 798-1131. 

For non-emergency communications, use text messaging, e-mail, or social media instead of making voice calls on your cell phone to avoid tying up voice networks. Data-based services like texts and emails are less likely to experience network congestion. You can also use social media to post your status to let family and friends know you are okay. In addition to Facebook and Twitter, you can use resources such as the American Red Cross’s Safe and Well program. 

Keep all phone calls brief. If you need to use a phone, try to convey only vital information to emergency personnel and/or family. 

If you are unsuccessful in completing a call using your cell phone, wait ten seconds before redialing to help reduce network congestion. 

Conserve your cell phone battery by reducing the brightness of your screen, placing your phone in airplane mode, and closing apps you are not using that draw power, unless you need to use the phone. 
If you lose power, you can charge your cell phone in your car. Just be sure your car is in a well-ventilated place (remove it from the garage) and do not go to your car until any danger has passed. You can also listen to your car radio for important news alerts. 

Tune into broadcast television and radio for important news alerts. If applicable, be sure that you know how to activate the closed captioning or video description on your television. 

If you do not have a hands-free device in your car, stop driving or pull over to the side of the road before making a call. Do not text on a cell phone, talk, or “tweet” without a hands free device while driving.  
Immediately following a disaster, resist using your mobile device to watch streaming videos, download music or videos, or play video games, all of which can add to network congestion. Limiting use of these services can help potentially life-saving emergency calls get through to 9-1-1. 

Check Ready.gov regularly to find other helpful tips for preparing for disasters and other emergencies.