what happens to cell phone communications in a disaster area
They entertain us, direct us back home from unfamiliar neighborhoods, reply trivial questions. Our cellphones are our lifeline to dozens of daily tasks. But what happens when you lot need your mobile most — to communicate during a disaster — and find that it isn't working?
During a disaster such equally a wildfire, cellphone towers may burn down downward or be damaged, as happened during the 2017 vino country fires, when belfry after tower went downwards. Many residents never received county-issued emergency alerts after they'd gone to bed for the dark.
And if the electricity goes out because of an earthquake, storm or fire damage, or a public safety shutdown, backup generators to those towers won't last indefinitely.
Since state and local governments are increasingly relying on the Wireless Emergency Alerts system to transport text alerts to cellphones in affected areas, it is ever more imperative to ensure that your mobile is both charged and working.
Plus, maintaining contact with your social grouping can be essential from both organizational and emotional standpoints.
"There'southward a deep psychological need to communicate during a disaster," said Mary Jo Flynn-Nevins, an emergency operations coordinator at the Sacramento County Office of Emergency Services. "In whatsoever extreme disaster, more people than not want to assistance their fellow humans. To practice that, we need to communicate effectively."
We talked to experts to discover out the all-time means to communicate during and after an emergency. Here's what — and what non — to exercise when things get bad and communications become wonky.
Texting is your friend
Y'all've probably experienced this at a concert or other crowded event: Everyone gets on their prison cell at the aforementioned fourth dimension and the local networks become overwhelmed. The outcome is dropped calls or sluggish data connections.
The reply? Use SMS texts rather than an bodily telephone call. "Typical human behavior is to telephone call loved ones right way," said Flynn-Nevins. "We emergency managers certainly want you to achieve out to your loved ones, merely choose a SMS text, which keeps cell towers more open."
Flynn-Nevins explains that SMS texts use only tiny bits of data versus the larger information demands of vocalisation communications.
"Everybody is sharing the same source," she said. "Information technology'southward kind of like taking a potable of h2o from a lake. If we all accept smaller quantities, we tin share that resources more broadly." SMS texts tin can also look in queues, she says, versus calls that may continually drop.
She too counsels restraint when dialing emergency services. "It's essential to know when it's appropriate to telephone call 911," said Flynn-Nevins. "For case, following an earthquake, the only time to phone call is for life-threatening emergencies then y'all don't clutter communications."
Reach out to someone out of state
Trying to contact someone who is too inside the disaster area can present challenges, say experts. They suggest picking an out-of-country contact to whom all members of your family unit or social grouping tin can reach out individually. That person can operate equally an off-site coordinator, relaying locations and the safety of all the other participants.
"That out-of-state contact can do group texts or use social media to update everyone'due south safety and whereabouts," said Flynn-Nevins. "Or consider a method that specifically works for your family. Nosotros utilize the messaging software Slack a lot at piece of work, and then possibly ready a Slack family channel."
One important tip: Learn the number of that out-of-state contact by heart.
It'southward a skillful idea to keep a list of key phone numbers in your disaster kit.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Cellphone tips and tricks
"Include an external battery charger in your emergency kit," said Samantha Montano, an assistant professor of Emergency Direction and Disaster Scientific discipline at University of Nebraska Omaha. "While you're at it, write down central phone numbers and put that in the kit, too."
A clever hack, Montano said, is to change your outgoing voicemail message. "If y'all can get through to your own voicemail message, and modify it to, 'Hi, I'grand fine,' information technology will answer the initial question that yous're OK," said Montano.
You want your phone performance and able to receive alerts from authorities, so turn off Bluetooth and whatever applications that suck up lots of battery power. Now is non the fourth dimension to play Fortnite or heed to Spotify.
Social media for skilful
Social media tin can be extremely useful for updating lots of people in i fell swoop. "There are many means that social media is useful in an emergency," said Montano. "Alter your status on Facebook or Twitter and basically everyone y'all know tin can exist alerted that you are OK."
She also points out that information tin then exist relayed to first responders.
"We consistently see instances of people posting that they need help, along with their location. Someone else sees that and calls information technology in. First responders utilize that data for lifesaving search-and-rescue purposes," she said.
An emergency radio tin can be a good source of information if your phone isn't working.
(RunningSnail)
Become old school
"The aforementioned methods of communication that worked for our grandparents are also useful in a modern disaster," said Flynn-Nevins, noting that telephone landlines, communicating over apprentice "ham" radio and simply listening to the radio are all useful options when your cellphone no longer works.
"Radio is a very efficient fashion to receive up-to-date information. Subsequently all, it'due south how we communicated nationally once upon a time," she said. While radios aren't able to send communications, they are a reliable fashion to go news. A portable radio is an essential item in a disaster kit.
We recommend buying a NOAA weather condition radio. These radios are specialized receivers that tune into the National Atmospheric condition Service's All Hazards warning system 24 hours a day. Transmissions include weather forecasts and warnings about dangers such as astringent storms, earthquakes and tsunamis and — at the request of state or local officials — fires. Note that since it is broadcast over the VHF public service band, regular AM/FM radios do non receive these transmissions.
You lot can buy larger, standalone units that are stationed in your home and which can signal an alarm when a warning is issued for your area. (That way you don't take to actively monitor the radio.) We've tested units past Midland Radio that we trust. Smaller, portable units are relatively inexpensive; good ones have hand cranks allowing you to recharge them on the fly. Some besides have a USB port to recharge a cellphone, likewise.
If you still take a landline phone line in your home or office, information technology may piece of work when cellphones no longer do.
Go new school
Simply of course, in that location'south also an app for that: Technology companies are trying to overcome the issues of spotty cellphone communications.
One such application is Zello, which allows a cellphone to function similar a walkie-talkie equally long equally you have a data connectedness. It is expert for one-on-i vox communications to some other app user. It too broadcasts over public channels where dozens or even hundreds of people can listen in. Simply download the app, for gratis, to a cellphone.
The significant downside is that aforementioned information connectedness requirement. Your phone must exist connected to a cellular network or internet-connected Wi-Fi. Visitor executives say that Zello has been optimized to use small amounts of data, and so it operates fifty-fifty when data connections are poor.
"We're often the last app continuing," said Zello CEO Bill Moore, who said information technology even runs on 2D networks. "Zello is extraordinarily efficient in its use of a network, and is tolerant of problems in that network."
Emergency coordinator Flynn-Nevins said she'due south listened in on Zello conversations during disasters. "It can be successful for coordinating rescue efforts, such equally deploying the Cajun navy during Hurricane Harvey," she said, referring to the volunteer boat owners who assisted in evacuation efforts during 2005'south Hurricane Katrina and likewise helped in Texas in 2017. "Like ham radio, it'southward another potential backup."
Whereas Zello can transmit over long distances only needs an internet connectedness, you lot can also turn your phone into a more than traditional walkie-talkie by broadcasting over a radio frequency. This type of "mesh" network is limited by "line of sight" distances between receivers, only is not dependent on a fixed, existing network.
New York-based GoTenna sells the GoTenna Mesh, a device that pairs with a cellphone and sends letters over an contained radio frequency. The mobile relay units cost effectually $180 each and are pocket-sized plenty to fit into a pocket.
Daniela Perdomo, co-founder and CEO of GoTenna, said that the range of one device to another is typically up to four miles, only may only reach a half-mile in dumbo environments like a city.
Even so, the encrypted messages tin "daisy chain" with one another, relaying from one device to some other to another before it reaches its end user. Thus a greater density of users in an area means a bulletin tin potentially travel farther. (Run into the map for the number of users in your expanse.)
The device also has a "shout" feature that will circulate to anyone in the vicinity — important if yous need help right away.
"It's an inexpensive way to have a scrap more peace of mind," said Perdomo. "It empowers people to potentially help ane another, especially when emergency response are overloaded."
Jason H. Harper is a announcer and the founder of Training Concierge, a site dedicated to giving emergency preparation advice for those living in urban areas, the suburbs and the coasts. Contact him at Jason@preparationconcierge.com.
Source: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-10-09/shelter-me-you-your-cellphone-and-a-disaster-what-to-do-when-communications-go-wonky
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