Funny how we get very worried about water and batteries when we see news images of hurricanes headed our way, then immediately forget about them when the storm has passed. Given the very real effects of climate change around the planet and the escalation of storms in the Pacific threatening our island home, we really should take some time, when things are calm, to figure out what we really need.
My own list of disaster essentials starts with water, phone and batteries. I would be tempted to put the phone first but water is pretty important. While necessary medications and food are right up there, I suspect that even without any real planning you can find a few cans of spam or soup and, in the worst case, a couple of cans of corn that can hold you over if your refrigerator is empty.
But you certainly don’t want to be without a working phone.
Needless to say we are not talking about a dumb phone and definitely not one of those things tied to the wall. We are talking about the smartest phone that you can afford. If you still have one of those wired phones and it still works when the power is off that is fine, but you’re not going to be able to Google ways to open a can without an electric can opener or text your family to see how they are doing. More on texting later.
We tend not to think about our phones until the situation warrants it, but a working phone in a disaster is the most important thing you can have. It may even be able to make up for those things you should have gotten but didn’t. You can call or, even better, text someone for help or medication or food. Remember that texting uses less power and is more likely to get through than a voice call in times of disaster. So we should put some serious planning to ensure our phones can actually work when the power goes out.
Check with your cellular provider for disaster planning. I checked with Verizon and they have disaster preparation websites and their stores have packages that include Apple and Android car-charging cables as well as mobile hot spots that can give phones, laptops and tablets web access when the power is out. Unless you invest in a generator, your car is the natural way to charge your phone. You might even be able to trade web access via your phone for the use of a neighbor’s car to recharge your phone if you don’t have one. But what about your cellular provider’s network if the power is out in a disaster?
Because cellphones and tablets are the primary means of communication for many people (and, often, for first responders), cellular providers have their own emergency systems. Verizon provided me with information on their response to our recent brush with hurricanes Madeline and Lester. They had “Cells On Light Trucks” in place at Diamond Head crater to provide additional cell capacity for emergency use. That makes me feel much better as we deal with more hurricanes. Hopefully they will continue to pass us by, but I will make sure my family is connected if everything else stops working. You should definitely add the things you need for your smartphone to your emergency essentials if you haven’t already.
Mike Meyer, formerly Internet general manager at Oceanic Time Warner Cable, is now chief information officer at Honolulu Community College. Reach him at mmeyer@hawaii.edu.
