Stay connected

Why a plan beats a phone

During a disaster, phone networks are often damaged or overloaded just when everyone is trying to call. Families who haven't agreed in advance where to meet and whom to contact can spend hours or days trying to find each other.

A communication plan is a short written agreement: how you'll reach each other, where you'll meet, and who outside the area will relay messages.

Write the plan down

• Phone numbers and email addresses for every household member, written on paper. Most people no longer know these by heart.
• An out-of-area contact: a relative or friend in another region. Long-distance calls and texts often get through when local ones don't, and everyone can check in with that one person.
• Numbers for work, schools, child care, doctors, your veterinarian and your insurer.
• Medical information: conditions, medications, allergies and blood types.
• Give everyone a wallet-sized copy, and keep copies in go-bags and the car.

Choose meeting places

• Just outside your home, for sudden emergencies like a fire.
• Somewhere in your neighborhood, such as a library or a friend's house, if you can't get home.
• Somewhere outside your town, if you have to evacuate.
• Learn the emergency plans of your children's schools and your workplaces, including where they would send people.

Text first, call second

A text message needs far less network capacity than a call and will keep retrying until it goes through. Keep messages short: where you are, whether you're safe, what you plan to do next.

Keep calls brief so lines stay free for emergencies, and use 911 only for emergencies. Texting 911 is available in many but not all areas; if it isn't, you'll get a bounce-back message telling you to call.

Get official alerts

• Make sure Wireless Emergency Alerts are turned on in your phone's settings (on iPhone: Settings → Notifications, then scroll to the bottom).
• Sign up for your county or city's alert system. Most offer free text or email alerts.
• Keep a NOAA Weather Radio, or a battery or hand-crank radio that receives it. It broadcasts warnings even when cell and internet service are down.
• Know your local AM/FM emergency stations.

Keep devices charged

• Keep power banks charged and rotate them into daily use so you know they work.
• Turn on low-power mode, lower screen brightness and close apps you don't need.
• Car chargers work when the car is running. Run the car outdoors only, never in a garage.
• A hand-crank or solar radio with a USB port can top up a phone in a pinch.

Radios: what needs a license

When phone networks are down, radios still work over short distances. In the United States, the rules depend on the type.

• FRS (Family Radio Service) walkie-talkies: no license needed. Range is usually a mile or two, less in cities and hills, whatever the box claims.
• GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service): more power and range, including repeaters. Requires an FCC license, but no exam, and one license covers your immediate family.
• CB (Citizens Band): no license needed. Common with truckers and in rural areas.
• Amateur (ham) radio: the most capable, with regional and even worldwide reach. Requires passing an FCC exam. Local ham clubs often help with emergency communications and welcome beginners.

Practice the plan

Once a year, run through it: text the out-of-area contact, walk to the meeting places, test radios and update phone numbers. Children especially should practice what to do if they can't reach you.