Communicating during and after a disaster

[ny biker]

I know someone who still has not heard from his sister who lives in a town that was flooded on Monday. And as I try to reach friends and family to get news from them or tell them that we are all safe, I'm realizing that I have no cell phone numbers or email addresses for some of them.

Everyone please take a minute to review your address books, whether they are paper or electronic or whatever, and make sure you have ways to reach everyone important in an emergency. Cell phone numbers are very important, because sometimes a text message is the only way to reach someone. Email might also work, especially for those with smartphones if they can get 3G/4G service.

You probably have the info you need for the close relatives, as I do, but I'm finding it hard to communicate with some of my cousins right now. And I wanted to try to reach some family friends to see if they're okay and to let them know my parents are okay, but I only have street addresses for them in my address book.

Also make sure the information is stored somewhere that can be accessed if you have no electricity.

This is something you need to do now, because you might not get much warning before you need it, and if you do have warning everyone will be busy stocking up on supplies or boarding up windows or whatever.

Also, there is this Safe and Well Registry from the Red Cross -- let your loved ones know that it might be an option when a disaster strikes.

http://www.redcross.org/find-help/contact-family/register-safe-listing

I also read this article about how to access Twitter via text messages when you don't have internet or 3G/4G service.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/how-to-use-twitter-when-you-lose-internet-access/2012/10/29/e6214f12-21b9-11e2-8448-81b1ce7d6978_story.html

Twitter is an excellent source of news and weather. Even if you have no interest in using it on a day-to-day basis, I highly recommend setting up an account and finding some of your favorite news sources to follow, whether it's national TV news and weather, local newspaper reporters or TV news people. I have been able to get great real-time information about the situation in the NY area because I follow various local news and weather reporters there. And after the earthquake that was centered in Virginia last summer, I had news within minutes by checking Twitter on my phone.

Twitter can also help you communicate with people -- thanks to the recent storm I have exceeded my text message limit on my phone, but brother and sister recently signed up for Twitter so I can tell them that I was able to reach my parents without using up more text messages.

[skhill]

Thanks for the reminder-- I usually rely on my brother for contact info for extended family. But what if something were to happen to him? Or I just couldn't get in touch with him?

Wouldn't it be a good gesture if the phone providers would lift limits on text messages for folks in Sandy-affected areas?

[smilingcat]

you might consider setting up a phone tree (tree phone) with redundancy. All you need is to be able to contact just one person in the tree. Definitely good thing to have things for granted to be reiterated.

Also consider what happens if you are unable to get power to recharge your portable equipment. Can you recharge from your car? and if your car is flooded out, can you still recharge your cell? And always have a pair of boots, and pair of heavy glove. After a disaster, area may not be safe to be walking around in thin tennis shoes or dress shoes. More people get injured from the debris was what I was told in disaster training.

[PamNY]

Thanks for the Twitter info. That could be really useful.