Verizon Wireless posted a terrific page of tips of tips for being prepared to communicate in a disaster situation. That's a great idea and applause to Verizon Wireless for putting the list together. Click here to get to it.
The VZW page starts out assuming that you already have a cell phone, so I'll start right off with a new Point Number One:
- If you don't already have a wireless phone, get one. ASAP.
- If you don't want to go on a two-year contract then get a prepaid phone and charge it with minutes.
- If you go prepaid, watch the "lifetime" of your minutes. The can expire. (Telcos: can you sell "disaster minutes" that don't expire? That would be cool.)
Side bar: we didn't have wireless before 9/11 but both of our kids were in NYC that morning and it was only through cell phone texting that we were able to be in touch with them.
You can believe we got wireless right after that. With texting.
OK: back on track.
The VZW disaster prep list has some general tips too but the gist of it is about your personal communications needs. Things like:
- have extra batteries for your cell phones.
- keep them fully charged, and
- get car adapters for charging your phones.
- Program family and emergency numbers into your phone.
- Put them into all of your family's phones while you're at it.
- Make sure that all of your phones have "ICE" -- In Case of Emergency -- numbers programmed into them. Emergency responders know to look for these in your phones.
Batteries and chargers is crucial. I'll add this: charge the extra batteries as soon as you get them.
- Put them into your phone and charge them over night, then take them out and put them in or near your emergency kit.
- Batteries these days keep their charge pretty well but, even so, every month or so you should repeat the charging process.
My tip: whenever we get new phones I always find car adapters right away on eBay. One in each car for each type of phone in the family. In fact, you can usually also find
deals on batteries on eBay too. ;-) Yay eBay.
You might also want to look for a little $20 quick charge device
The Verizon list also suggests that you:
- keep everything in a readily accessible place and
- in a sealable (lets add, specifically, leak proof) plastic bag.
- Also: toss one or two of those little desecant packets into the bag -- the little packs that come in electronics and cameras, especially if you live in a high-humidity region.
A really great suggestion on the VZW list is to practice texting. It may seem obvious to some folks, but I know from experience that not everyone in the family knows how to even find an incoming text message on their phone, much less send one. (Some phones really make the process obscure and cumbersome.)
The rest of the Verizon emergency prep list is it pretty much what you'll find on other such lists but it's great that VZW has taken the time to put this one together with communications specific tips. Thanks to them for doing that. I hope that they'll consider an emergency prep list 2.0 with a point or those I added above:
- ICE numbers in all family phones
- Emergency numbers in all family phones
- Get a phone if you don't have one. A prepaid is OK -- just make sure that it can do texting and that the minutes don't expire too quickly.
- Make sure that your plastic storage bag (a) doesn't leak and (b) put a little desecant packet into it.
- One of those $20 or so one-shot AA chargers is good to have. Don't go too cheap because the cheapo adapter plugs don't always fit properly.
Good luck and stay safe.
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