National Preparedness Month Day 14--Your Communications Plan

Everyone needs a disaster communications plan.  Include the following things in your plan:

• All family members should have each other's cell numbers both on their cell phones as well as having these numbers written down and kept in a wallet in case your cell phone goes dead.
• All family members should likewise have several other ways to reach each other including email addresses, social media user names, and work/school numbers.  Again this info should be on each other's cell phones as well as written down and kept in a wallet.
• Everyone should know that even if cell phone calls won't go through, often text messages will.
• Even if the entire family is in the same community, the family should agree on a contact who lives out of the area that can be the person everyone calls to check in with if they can't reach each other.  Sometimes local phone/cell networks will be down in the local area but calls to out of the area will go through.
• A fun hobby for the family which can turn into a critical method of communications during a disaster is HAM radio.  Consider becoming certified HAM operators as a family and using this old fashioned (but still quite useful) technology as a hobby.
• Social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, even Reddit) can be used to share information and messages with the family as well as your extended network of friends and family to keep them updated on your situation.
• If the family is separated by disaster, they should also check in with Safe & Well as well as Facebook's Crisis Response.
• Put your entire contact list (this can be typed as a document or downloaded as a .cvs file) on your backup thumb drive and give each family member a copy of this.  I have separate lists, one for business contacts and one for family/friends/other relatives, and ensure that each family member has a recently updated family contact list in case they need to get in contact with anyone in the extended family.
• Always keep some coins in your EDC.  Sometimes all phone networks may be down but pay phones--if you can find them--may still be in service.
• For receiving emergency communications from local and national sources, consider carrying a small AM/FM radio in your EDC bag.  Although most cell phones have the capability of receiving AM/FM radio via the phone and not through an app, this capability is often turned off by the cell company.
• You can ask for help from local first responder agencies in several ways.  You can call 911, in some areas you can text 911 for help, you can also reach out to these agencies through their Facebook/Twitter pages (this should be a last resort as these may not be monitored 24/7 by these agencies).
• Sign up for emergency alerts to your cell phone.  Some you may already receive (Amber Alerts, emergency weather alerts) and some you need to sign up for (local news stations, NOAA, local emergency management department, etc).
• Find out if your cell phone can be used like a walkie talkie even if cell phone service is down.
• If all communications are down, arrange a few meeting places with your family to meet up at.  The first should be in your neighborhood, if that is not accessible, you should have a secondary meet up location in your town, a third option in another state, and a TEOTWAWKI location in another country.

Emergency Communications: 10 Types

Everyone should have an emergency communications plan.  When disaster strikes, one of the first things people want to do if you are in the disaster area is let loved ones know you are all right or, if you aren't in the disaster, ensure that loved ones who are in the disaster area are all right.  Here are ten ways to stay connected during a disaster:

1. Leave your itinerary with a responsible person and check in regularly.  If you will be on a remote trail or in a foreign country, leave a fairly detailed itinerary with a responsible person who will know if and when to send for help on your behalf (ie: if you don't check in within a reasonable amount of time, the friend or relative can call the consulate, call the ranger station, etc and get a search started for you).
2. Assign one responsible friend or relative to be your "emergency communication hub person."  During a disaster you may not be able to check on friends or relatives in your immediate area (cell towers are overloaded, phone lines are down) but you can often call long distances without a problem.  Give this person's contact information to all family members and in the event of a disaster everyone can check in with the designated emergency contact person.
3. Consider a GPS locator such as a SPOT 3.  These devices allow you to bounce messages off a satellite to let people know you are fine or to call for help.  Although not common or practical for daily use at home, these are often used when people are way off the beaten track.
4. Get a HAM radio and the training to use it.  Almost exclusively during major disasters, HAM radios work when all other forms of communication don't.  Start here.
5. Always keep your cell phone charged.  Everyone uses cell phones these days and often, even if cell towers are overloaded with calls, you can still send text messages during a disaster.
6. Consider a land line.  I haven't had a land line in ages but these can be very useful during a disaster, especially if they are buried lines.  A land line (with a hard wired phone, not a cordless phone) does not require electricity to use and be used to make calls during a disaster.
7. Use your internet.  Again, depending on the type of disaster, if you still have internet access, you can connect with people (either via Twitter, Facebook, email, computer-to-text, Skype, etc) through your computer or tablet.
8. A satellite phone can be helpful during a disaster.  I say they can be helpful because there is good reason to use these phones (calls are bounced off a satellite so you don't need to rely on cell towers or phone lines) but there are a host of drawbacks as well (they are expensive to keep, use, and maintain; you need a way to keep them charged, you need direct access to the satellite which means you need either a fixed antenna that is still standing or need to go outside to use them, and the satellite needs to be working and in position to use).
9. Use a people finder.  After a major disaster there are a couple of reliable services that are used to connect displaced people with loved ones who are searching for them and vice versa.  Check out Google Person Finder and the Red Cross Safe and Well websites.
10. Use a runner or be a runner.  When all else fails, the only way to get your message out may be via your own two feet (or the feet of another).  In this case, you want to be in good enough physical shape to be able to travel a distance--via foot, bicycle, etc--in order to seek help or communicate with others.

Disaster Communications

There's usually two things you can count on in regards to communications during a disaster. One, communications systems will be down and/or two, what communication systems aren't down, will be so overloaded as to make them practically useless. Either way, the result is that when you most need to rely on your communications system to call for help, check up on family members, or find out more information, they won't be available. Here's a run down on a variety of communication options during a disaster.

Satellite Phone

• These aren't wholly reliable, even on a good day. The Global Star network is still in the process of putting up its new satellite constellation which should be completed during the second quarter of 2010.
• Sat phone systems are expensive. For the average citizen, having a satellite phone in the off chance you would need to use it during a disaster doesn't make financial sense (you'd be better off using the money for additional stored food).
• If you have a base unit with the antenna mounted on your roof, you need to make sure the antenna is still standing after a disaster in order to use it. On the other hand, if you have a portable unit, you can only use it outside where it has direct access to the satellite (not a fun option in the middle of a down pour). In either case, your antenna can't be blocked by anything (trees, buildings, etc) that would interfere with direct access to the satellite or it won't work.
• If you do have a sat phone, make sure to turn in on during a disaster in case someone is trying to call you. Generally, organizations have sat phones as a back up system for disasters, however since they usually only turn the phone on for testing purposes and not normal use, people may forget to turn it on!
• If you plan on calling a friend/government agency/etc on their sat phone after a disaster, make sure you have a list of the sat phone numbers you will need to use.
• You may want to print off the satellite schedule so you will know the best place to find your satellite connection if you need it.
• If you try your sat phone and can't connect, try again a little later.
• Bottom line: unless you need a satellite phone for mission specific purposes (a dog sled race to the North Pole, a mission into places where it would be difficult--or deadly--to ask to use a pay phone) you probably don't need one.

Home Phone

• A home phone is usually the first line of communications, other than a cell phone, that people will use before, during, or after a disaster.
• If you have a phone company phone line in your home, these will often work even when the power is out. The catch is that you need a wired phone to plug into the jack (not the cordless type that also needs to be plugged into an outlet).
• If you use a VoIP system (internet phone service through your broadband company) or use Skype through your computer, these systems are only as good as your power supply (to power the computer and modem) and the power supply to your internet provider's system (some have back-up battery systems for use during power failures).
• Consider telephone priority services such as GETS and TPS which, for a fee, will give you priority for getting your phone working after a disaster (from reports this seems to be hit or miss as sometimes your phone service will be restored sooner rather than later depending on where exactly you are located). Some programs are available for civilians, but most focus on restoring service as quickly as possible to critical infrastructure providers.
• Keep a list of contact numbers near your phone. Like many people, I look up nearly every number I need online or in my contacts list on my computer; without power I would not be able to do this.
• Note that is is sometimes easier to call long distance after a disaster (this is part of your emergency communications plan isn't it?) than to call down the street.

Cell Phone

• Cell phones work fairly well on a normal day, however dropped calls and overloaded cell circuits are common even on a good day.
• Be sure to always keep your cell phone charged up and keep a car cell phone charger on hand as well.
• Check out wireless telephone priority services (WPS) similar to the above services for land lines.
• If you can't get a cell phone call through after a disaster, consider sending a text message as these can often get through when the voice calling part of the system is overloaded.
• Consider having cell phones with more than one company. I carry cell phones from two different service providers due to service issues where I usually work. One has better coverage in some areas, the other has better coverage in other areas.
• Even if your cell phone isn't working, leave it on as cell phones can be "pinged" to find your location if needed.

HAM Radio

• During and after a disaster, HAM radio may be one of the few communication options available since it uses radio waves to send and receive messages.
• You can't use a HAM radio without a license, however getting one of these is fairly simple. Check out the ARRL website for more information.
• Base stations radios with good antennas work quite well but require power (ie: these won't work when the power goes out unless you have a generator or battery back-up system). Portable radios work on charged batteries but usually their range is shorter without a really good antenna.
• An excellent way to practice your HAM radio skills (and provide a valuable service to your community during a disaster) is to volunteer with RACES or ARES.
• Note that two-way handheld radios are often included in people's emergency supplies. These are good for communication within a very short distance (two miles or so) and for coordinating with your team.

Newer Communications Technology

• Aside from the old stand-bys, newer communication methods to call for help or provide information after a disaster can be accessed either through your computer or web-enabled cell phone.
• Twitter has been used on more than one occasion to call for help. One man sent a message out via Twitter as he was being hauled off to jail in a foreign country; at least his friends knew where to start looking for him.
• YouTube, Flicker, blogs, Facebook, MySpace and other social media sites often provide disaster information faster than the local news. Simply upload your video, photo, or message and it is shot out to the world.

Incoming Communication Services

• In instances when you may not be able to communicate with the outside world after a disaster, it is still important to receive information about what is going on.
• A wind-up radio should be a part of everyone's disaster supply kit.
• You can now purchase small battery-operated televisions which do not need a digital converter box as this is built in.
• Scanners often provide up to date information just by listening to the calls from dispatch to the law enforcement and fire service personnel in the area.
• A short wave radio is another option for receiving information before, during and after a disaster.
• A NOAA radio has the added bonus of being able to turn on an alert specifically for your area when a weather disaster threatens.

High Tech and Low Tech Communications Systems

• There are other types of high-tech communications systems that just aren't practical for civilian use (infrared and microwave systems to name a couple).
• Low tech communications includes the things our ancestors would have used: smoke signals, sending a runner with a message, beating drums, using mirrors to signal others, writing out your message and posting it somewhere, etc.

While communication gaps are a huge topic for disaster planners, people seem to forget than only a few short decades ago (we're talking the '60s, '70s, and early '80s), there was no such thing as being connected to the world 24/7. Then, TVs had three stations, cars had AM radios only, and the way you communicated with others in your hunting party was to write a message on a paper plate and tack it to a tree in the mountains. While I am just as much of a communications junkie as everyone else, we all need to prepare for the times when communications are down and our normal methods of communication are not available.