Page 30 - Leisure Living Magazine June 2017

Prepare Your Cellphone In Case Of Disaster
When disas- ter strikes, your phone could be your best friend. With more than 98 percent of
Americans owning a mobile phone and more than 70 percent of 9-1-1 calls made on mobile devices, wireless helps save lives.
Be Prepared
Take eight easy steps now to ensure you and your mobile device are prepared in case of emer- gency.
1. Add Emergency Numbers: Keep a list of emergency phone numbers in your cellphone.
2. Appoint ICE: Designate at least one “In Case of Emergency” (ICE) contact in your phone con- tacts so emergency personnel know whom to con- tact during an emergency.
3. Inform your ICE: Tell your ICE contact about any medical issues or special needs you may have. Additionally, make sure they know how many pets you have and what to do if you’re not available.
4. Know your Battery: Be conscious of your phone’s battery life and carry a spare charger (external charging devices are especially helpful in situations when you can’t access power). To conserve your phone’s battery life:
• Turn on your phone’s power-saving mode (if it has one).
• Turn off Wi-Fi when not in use. (Your phone uses power when looking for a signal)
• Close unused apps and turn off push notifi- cations.
• Turn off social media.
• Disable location-based services when not in use.
• Set your e-mail to arrive manually or infre- quently.
• Put your device to sleep or in airplane mode whenever possible.
• Change the display settings so your screen
goes to sleep faster.
• Reduce your screen brightness.
• Turn off Bluetooth when not needed.
5. Forward Home Phone: Know how to forward your home phone number to
your cellphone in case you are evacuated.
6. Keep an Extra Landline: If you have a land- line phone, keep at least one non-cordless phone
in your home in case you need it.
7. Learn WEA: Educate yourself about Wireless
Emergency Alerts—free messages from the gov- ernment in emergencies.
8. Know School Emergency Info: If you have kids in school, find out how the school district will notify you in an emergency.
What To Do
During An Emergency Remember, in a widespread emergency such as
a natural disaster, wireless networks can become congested, making it difficult to place a voice call. To communicate with family and friends, con- sider these dos and don’ts.
DO use text messaging, e-mail or social media to let people know you’re okay. Keep it short and simple, conveying only necessary information so other people can also communicate with their loved ones.
DON’T make voice calls unless you must. Voice calls take up more space on the wireless network and it’s important to minimize unnecessary voice calls so emergency responders are able to com- municate. If you must call, wait 10 seconds before redialing.
Learn More
You can get other ways to prepare for an emer- gency from the experts at CTIA at www.ctia.org.
30 |LeisureLiving June 2017
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