Technology is making it easier than ever to prepare for emergencies, but it can be unreliable if there are power disruptions.
Be Informed
- Download a trusted weather app and enable push notifications
- Enable wireless emergency alerts on your device
- Follow local government on social media to stay up-to-date with official information before, during, and after a disaster. Get Twitter alerts from trusted government agencies to get notified when critical information goes out
- Sign up to receive community alerts. Check with local officials to find out if your community has a system in place.
Make A Plan
- Use text messages, social media, and email to connect with friends and family during a disaster or emergency. Mobile networks can become overwhelmed during these times, and it may be difficult to make and receive calls. Text messages use less bandwidth which means they can be transmitted more reliable during situations where many people are using their mobile phones at the same time.
- Have an emergency charging option for your phone and other devices.
- Prior to severe weather, make sure all devices are fully charged
- Have a back-up power source on hand, such as a power bank. Remember to recharge a backup battery or power bank after use.
- Change phone settings to low power mode or put on airplane mode to conserve energy
- Always keep a portable charger in your vehicle
- Store important documents on a secure, password-protected flash drive or in the cloud
- Backup your computer to protect photos and other important documents
- Use an app that uses your phoneโs camera as a scanning device
- Keep your contacts updated and synced across all channels
- Create a group chat to communicate quickly during a disaster
- Sign up for direct deposit and electronic banking to access your paycheck and make electronic payments wherever you are.
- If you receive paper checks for any federal benefits, consider enrolling in automatic benefits through GoDirect. https://godirect.gov/gpw/
