All those national alert systems like Noah may be a done deal soon. Not sure if there's anyone staffing those departments any longer!
Deidre > On Sep 2, 2017, at 9:07 PM, M. Taylor <[email protected]> wrote: > > Prepare for disaster: How your smartphone can help in an emergency > By Marc Saltzman, USA TODAY > > Hurricane Harvey has knocked out a lot of the regular communications > infrastructure in parts of Texas, but a walkie talkie-like app has emerged > to fill the need. USA TODAY Patrick Tobias seals his phone in a bag after > taking a picture of his flooded car, behind, as he stands in floodwater from > Tropical Storm Harvey Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2017, in Kingwood, Texas. (Photo: > AP Photo/Gregory Bull) The catastrophic events caused by Hurricane Harvey > put smartphones to the test , raising the question about what our trusty > mobile companions can do to help in crises like these. After all, we rely on > these pocket-sized supercomputers for much of our lives, in a normal state, > so surely they can be useful during natural disasters, among other grave > situations one might find themselves in. Your survival plan should include > your smartphone, and there are a few things you can do in advance for > emergency preparedness, but you won't be able to rely on your mobile device > for everything. Some thoughts, tips, and tricks to consider for the future: > Rhonda Worthington talks on her cell phone with a 911 dispatcher as she gets > out of her car after her vehicle become stalled in rising floodwaters from > Harvey in Houston on Aug. 28. (Photo: LM Otero, AP) According to the Federal > Communications Commission (FCC), only 4% of the nearly 7,800 cell sites in > Harvey's path were knocked out, affecting nearly 150,000 people. By > comparison, more than 1,000 cell sites were inoperable during Hurricane > Katrina in 2005, leaving millions without connectivity. In other words, > communications networks are getting better at weathering major natural > events like hurricanes. It's not perfect ' residents in Rockport, Texas, > suffered the biggest outage last week, and therefore you can't assume you'll > have service in these situations. You do not need to have an active phone > plan to call 9-1-1 from any smartphone. (Photo: AT&T/Handout) Presuming > there is cellular service, people are encouraged to send text messages and > emails and posts notifications to Facebook and Twitter about their > whereabouts and immediate needs, or to look up where local shelters are. If > your smartphone doesn't have coverage in the area you're in during an > emergency, or you don't have an active cell plan, you can still reach 9-1-1 > from your mobile phone. You can also text 9-1-1, perhaps if you're unable to > talk or need to be silent (perhaps in a terrorist situation), but you must > first be registered for the T9-1-1 service with your wireless service > provider. Because you don't need to pay for cell service to call 9-1-1, it's > not a bad idea to keep an old and deactivated phone in your emergency kit. > More: Why you might want to own a 'burner phone In the event you have power > and Wi-Fi but no cellular, there are apps that let you make video and audio > calls for help. (Photo: Skype/handout) While not as likely, you might find > yourself in a situation where you've got Wi-Fi, but no cellular service. But > that doesn't mean you can't still make phone calls. Using apps like Facebook > Messenger, Google Duo, Viber, and Fring lets you make free phone calls over > Wi-Fi ' even if there's no cell service. Some may require you setting this > up ahead of time. Skype is also free to another Skype user, and in the event > you need to call a landline or mobile phone, it's dirt cheap to do so at > about 10 cents per call (if that), but it does require you to deposit a bit > of cash ('Skype Credits') into your account. Some phones are waterproof, > which could help during some natural disaster, or else pick up a waterproof > case or seal your electronics in a Ziploc bag. (Photo: Samsung/handout) But > if your phone can't withstand water, none of this may matter, and so you > have a few choices to make going forward. One is to invest in a waterproof > phone, such as the latest Samsung Galaxy or iPhone models. Samsung's latest > crop of devices are IP68-rated ('Ingress Protection'), meaning it could be > submerged in water up to 5 feet and for up to 30 minutes, while iPhone 7 is > IP67-certified for water resistance up to 3 feet, up to 30 minutes. If your > current smartphone isn't waterproof, consider a waterproof case for it. As a > last resort, have some thick Ziploc bags as part of your emergency kit to > lock your phone into. More: Your smartphone got wet. Here's what not to do > first More: A cellphone drying company drove 1,000 miles to rescue > Harvey-soaked phones Back-up batteries are essential in an emergency > situation, but if power is out you might consider one of the hand-crank > models like this product from Et'n. (Photo: Eton/Handout) Even if you have > cellular service in your area, you may not have power, or be able to access > a working power outlet. And without power, your smartphone is as useless as > the box it came in. And so it's important to have a backup power solution, > such as a portable battery charger (a.k.a. 'booster') on hand, and keep it > charged up, too. An even better idea is to pick up a battery booster for > your phone with a hand-crank, such as this $29 Eton model, so you can charge > up the battery using the integrated hand turbine power generator. If your > vehicle is around during an emergency, you can plug your devices into your > car's 12-volt port ('cigarette lighter'). You might also consider a backup > phone that takes batteries. Some also keep a cell signal booster for their > home or vehicle. More: Any port ' or bowling alley ' in a storm: Harvey > evacuees flock to unlikely places Download maps to access offline, in case > you're unable to get reception ' but you need to do this before there's a > problem. (Photo: Google/Handout) If you don't have cell service and need to > find a way out of town in case of an emergency, will your mapping function > work on your smartphone? Yes it can. Just like the standalone GPS navigation > units we used to mount to our windshields or dashboards, your smartphone can > still help you get from point A to point B without cell service ' by solely > relying on the GPS sensor inside the device. But there's two things you need > to know. One, you'll need to download map apps that don't require service ' > such as Navmii, CoPilot Premium, or Navigon ' or take advantage of Google > Maps' new offline feature, but you'll need to download maps ahead of time. > Secondly, while GPS directions will work without service, some of the > extras, like real-time traffic, will not work without a mobile data > connection. Accuracy may also be off as smartphone use GPS-A ('assisted') > technology, aided by cell towers to help you in areas with tall buildings, > tunnels, and other challenges to communicating with satellites about the > Earth. If downloaded before you need them, these free emergency preparedness > apps are important to keep on your smartphone (Photo: Red Cross/screenshot) > A handful of free emergency preparedness apps can help you in the event of a > crisis ' even if you don't have cell service. Red Cross offers numerous > apps, in fact, including a Shelter Finder app, First Aid, Hurricane app, > Earthquake, Wildfire, and others. Each one includes checklists, advice > during emergency situations (from performing first aid and CPR to handling > food and water during power outages), quizzes, signing up for emergency > notifications, and more. Similarly, the official FEMA (Federal Emergency > Management Agency) includes information for all kinds of disasters, > including tips to creating an emergency kit, and emergency meeting > locations, maps of important locations, and so on. Finally, the aptly-named > Disaster Alert app offers a real-time map that shows activate (or impending) > incidents, deemed as 'potentially hazardous to people, property, or assets' > according to the PDC DisasterAWARE application. This includes hurricanes, > floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanos, as well as 'manmade' emergency > situations. Follow Marc on Twitter: @marc_saltzman. > > > -- > The following information is important for all members of the V iPhone list. > > If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if > you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or > moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. > > Your V iPhone list moderator is Mark Taylor. Mark can be reached at: > [email protected]. Your list owner is Cara Quinn - you can reach Cara at > [email protected] > > The archives for this list can be searched at: > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "VIPhone" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/viphone. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. -- The following information is important for all members of the V iPhone list. If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. Your V iPhone list moderator is Mark Taylor. Mark can be reached at: [email protected]. Your list owner is Cara Quinn - you can reach Cara at [email protected] The archives for this list can be searched at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "VIPhone" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/viphone. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
