Emergency planning often involves making sure you can survive without technology. Power and cell service can be out for hours or days after a major disaster. However, you can and should have technology-based backup plans, whether it’s keeping your phone working long enough to reconnect with family or having a way to receive emergency updates.
Here’s our tech survival checklist, which is in addition to the basics recommended by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Not everyone has the budget to fill their bag with new tech, so do what you can and check with your local agencies to see if they offer free supplies.
Plan for the right disasters
First, you need to know the worst-case and most likely scenarios so you can prepare for the disasters that are most likely to happen where you live. While some are obvious (hurricanes happen in Florida), there are many other situations you should consider, says DeeDee Bennett Gayle, an associate professor of emergency management at the University at Albany.
For example, the East Coast of the United States has recently been dealing with wildfire smoke, a problem more familiar to residents of California, Oregon and Washington. Last year, Chicago was sheltered from tornadoes and Vermont was hit by floods.
Start by checking your state’s emergency management website. Many states have tools that allow you to look up your address and see the risks for your exact location, as well as recommendations on how to prepare or mitigate damage.
Keep your tech dry (or cool, or warm)
According to the World Health Organization, floods are the most common type of natural disaster. Other disasters that can occur almost anywhere include record heat waves and wet or freezing winter storms.
So, it is very important to keep your smartphone at the right temperature or humidity level. The latest smartphones claim to be water-resistant, but you should still try to keep them as dry as possible.
Include a handful of large Ziploc bags. You can toss your phone, cables, and battery in them if you’re dealing with flooding or wet weather, but you can also use them for any important documents in case you have to evacuate.
TO CATCH UP
Stories to keep you informed
If you want to buy something more sophisticated, look for a large capacity dry bag, big enough to hold a laptop and a phone, or just a waterproof case for a smartphone that allows you to see the screen. Surf and outdoor stores are a great place to start. If you’re in an area prone to high water, look for a dry bag that’s designed to float.
Smartphones can also stop working if they get too cold or too hot, usually outside the 0 to 35 degrees Celsius range. Keeping a smartphone warm is easier. You can just make sure it’s snug in a pocket next to your body or wrapped in cloth. Keeping it cool is trickier, but any insulated bag will do the trick if you have something inside to keep the temperature down. Follow the same rules for power banks, which can lose their capacity if they get too cold or malfunction if they get too hot.
Avoid changing the temperature of a device too quickly or too drastically. If your phone is overheating, don’t put it in the refrigerator. You can find more tips on heat here.
Listen to NOAA Weather Radio
A radio lasts much longer than a smartphone and can be a vital source of emergency updates from organizations like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Any big-box retailer will carry a selection of weather radios, powered by a hand crank or replaceable batteries.
Some recommended brands include Midland and Eton, and basic models can start at $25. You can find similar radios online or at any major retail store like Walmart or Target. As with anything you buy from an online marketplace, be wary of cheap or fraudulent brands when planning for an emergency.
Backup batteries and other power options
Experts recommend having at least 72 hours of battery life in case of an emergency. Anyone who has ever used a modern smartphone knows that battery life usually lasts a day. There are ways to extend battery life, but you should always plan ahead and have an extra battery on hand.
Everyone should have a power bank, also known as a backup battery, that can be used to charge at least one smartphone. Look for a charger with at least 10,000mAh, which should be enough to charge a smartphone twice. While most quality power banks will hold a charge for an extended period of time, you should still check them and charge the one in your emergency kit once every three to four months to be on the safe side. Choose a well-known brand like Mophie or Anker, at least for the emergency kit.
Even if the power goes out at home, you can find a working outlet somewhere else. Put a power cord, along with the brick, in your emergency kit. A multi-USB or USB-C charging cable will have multiple ports in one place, allowing you to use it to charge different gadgets.
If you like extra gadgets and have the budget, you can get a solar charger that will charge your phone using the sun. A solar charger is not as reliable as a pre-charged battery because it can depend on the time of day, location, and weather.
Fill your phone with the essentials
If you have cell service, you can receive urgent updates from local and state emergency agencies, including evacuation orders. Some notifications are optional, and others may have been turned off in the past. FEMA recommends starting by signing up for its basic alerts by texting the following to 43362: Text “PREPARE” for preparedness tips, “SHELTER” and a ZIP code after a disaster to find local shelter options, and “LIST” for more options.
Next, sign up for all possible local emergency alert options. We explain the basics of emergency alerts here.
If you have power but no internet, your phone can still be a valuable resource. Download offline versions of maps for your area from Google or Apple Maps ahead of time. Download the American Red Cross First Aid app, which will work offline. Finally, make sure you’ve created a plan for your entire family ahead of time and saved it to everyone’s devices so everyone knows where to meet.
If something happens to your home in a disaster, recovery will go much smoother if you have a few key documents. Back up all of these documents to the cloud so you can access them if something goes wrong with your phone: photos of your home (inside and out), passports, and insurance documents.
Have alternatives to the technology you rely on
In addition to thinking about how to keep your technology working, make sure you plan for what you’ll do if it doesn’t. Are you a regular Apple or Samsung Pay user? In the event of widespread power or cellphone outages, many stores will have to revert to cash transactions, Bennett Gayle said. If you can, pack some cash in your emergency bag — as much as you can afford and think you’ll need for three days.
Parents should plan ways to entertain their children that don’t involve video games or TV shows. The contents of the kit will depend on the age of your children and will need to be updated as they get older, but start with the classics like paper and art supplies, puzzle books or magazines, and a deck of cards.
