West Coast TE Peeps....

[Trek420]

I was on the phone with my mother several times yesterday. She is worried sick for her older brother. He is in his 80's my mother in her late 70's. My mother couldn't get her call through although my cousin in Kyushu managed to get her call through to my mother.

It must be hard to wait for word. I can hardly imagine.

The phone system is probably overloaded. Lines and poles may be down, central offices damaged but the sytem is designed to re-route calls. In a disaster everyone picks up the phone right away. Cell and land line systems while robust are not meant to take that kind of load. The system IS though designed to shut down to "protect itself" leaving available trunk lines for first responders.

Please assure your Mom that's probably the technical reason why she can't get through and that her family is in our thoughts and prayers.

That's why it's recommended in a major disaster unless you or others nearby actually neeeeeeed emergency help stay off the phone. Don't call into the area, don't call out.

Instead if disaster strikes call 1 (one, uno, ichi ... ) person outside of your area. Call them. If dial tone is slow don't hang up, stay on the line it may pick up. Say you're ok or not ... that 1 person should have your emergency contacts. They make calls.

I've said this before and like the cobblers children not having shoes barely have my own emergency contacts but now I'm working on it.