In 2006 Congress
passed legislation under the Warning Alert and Response Network Act (WARN) allowing
the Federal government access to private cell phones to issue emergency
warnings and alerts which resulted in the Personal Localized Alerting Network
(PLAN).
PLAN allows
authorized national, state or local government officials to send alerts via
cell phone providers regarding public safety emergencies, such as a tornado or
a terrorist threat. Cell phone providers push the alerts from cell towers to
cell phones in the affected area. This
technology ensures that emergency alerts do not get stuck in highly congested
user areas.
PLAN enables
government officials to target emergency alerts to specific geographic areas
through cell towers which pushes the information to dedicated receivers in PLAN
enabled cell phones. PLAN complements the existing Emergency Alert System
implemented by the FCC and FEMA via media service providers.
Customers can opt
out of the service but will still receive Presidential alerts even if their GPS
locator is turned off. The PLAN
technology will allow the messages to take precedence over regular phone calls
or text messages so the alerts can get through. Messages will show up on the
phone’s front screen, and arrive with a distinct ringtone or vibration. Three types of messages are included in
PLAN: level 1 - messages from the
President, level 2 - looming threats to safety, and level 3 - amber alerts
about missing or abducted children.
During a natural
disaster cell phone networks quickly get jammed and subscribers are unable to
make phone calls. This happened recently with the earthquake that struck the
east coast. During a disaster
many people rely on cell phones or the internet. If your power is out your only other option
is your cell phone. Government agencies
are urging subscribers to send text messages instead of making phone calls
during a natural disaster.
Using social media and text messages cannot replace voice communications
and does not address the cell phone network load problems. If everyone is
sending text messages that causes another increase in load and can cause delays
in sending and receiving text messages.
For people who don’t use social media or cell phones or people who live
in rural areas where cell phone coverage is not available there is no way other
for them to communicate.
If cell phone companies can provide their executives with
million dollar salaries, bonus and perks each year, saved money by transferring
their customer services departments to India and other countries, decreased
their level of customer service, and made some staff reductions, why can’t they
spend more money to upgrade their networks to provide better service to
subscribers and handle increased loads during a natural disaster. Here are six
tips to prepare for phone interruptions during a natural disaster:
Disaster Plan
Create
a disaster plan and test it periodically.
Do not wait
Do
not wait until the last minute to take action.
Prepare in advance and stay calm. Execute your disaster plan to minimize
further damages and safety issues.
Communication Plan
Develop
a communication plan to contact friends, family, and test periodically.
Satellite phone
If
you live areas that experience frequent natural disasters, consider purchasing
or renting a satellite phone, which connects to satellites in space. They provide functionality similar to cell
phones such as voice, paging alerts, messaging service and internet
access. Coverage can include the world
or specific regions. Prices ranges from
$200 to $5,000 for the phone plus talk time ranging from $0.15 to $2.00 per
minute.
Smartphones Apps
Use
emergency communication smartphone applications such as Life360, Guardly, Emergency
Distresss Beacon and Quake SOS to connect to family and friends or emergency
service providers to identify your location and confirm your safety.
Emergency Alerts
Sign
up to receive emergency alerts with your city or state government, local school
or university, utility company or weather service. You can also sign up for the Emergency Email
and Wireless Network to receive alerts from local, state and federal government
agencies.
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