Alright. [COUGH] So let's talk specifically about communication. When we think about communication, we think of two things. We think of information in and information out. When we think of communication in, what we're talking about is getting information to us. We need information about what is going on around us. Are things getting worse, are things getting better, is the area locked down, do we need to evacuate the area? Are there dangers that we need to worry about? Where is food and water or other items being distributed? What's going on around us? If we need to go to the hospital, are the roads open? Can we drive to the hospital? Do we need to call for other transportation to get us to the hospital? Is EMS, law enforcement fire still responding? If we have to go to the hospital, where exactly do we go? Where is the specific triage area? So we need to get information about what's going on around us so that we can protect ourselves and respond better in this circumstance. Communication out is getting information out to family, friends or to authorities. So, do we need EMS, fire, or law enforcement? Do we need to contact family and loved ones and tell them that we're okay? Or tell them that we're not doing okay and we need help? Do we need to contact loved ones and family concerning meeting places and times? Or help that we or they may need under the circumstances? Some of these things apply to communication out as well as communication in, but getting information about what's going on around us can be difficult. the power might be out. So you can't just turn on the television set, unless it's battery-powered. You may have been forced to flee and generally, we can't fit that nice wide screen television in back of our small car. or our go bag and certainly plugging it in can be a bit of a problem. So we don't have a normal means of communication. Channels of communication could be down such as cable, the internet, phone lines, hard lines as well as cell towers, all could be out. and getting information can be difficult. So what are some ways that we can maximize our chances of getting information in? Battery-powered radios or televisions can be helpful. some of these are small, battery-powered devices. Some of them even have a, a, a crank on them to that you, that you turn repeatedly to provide a little bit of power. particularly crank-powered radios might be something that you could invest in. Be careful though because local radio and TV channels might be out. But emergency, emergency channels should still be operating. and should be able to provide important information. this is from the Emergency Alert System. Even if local channels are out, there's usually some channel that is being operated by the Emergency Alert System, that is getting information out to you. Weather radios are radios specifically designed to pick up signals from weather stations that are operated by NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This will provide valuable information particularly if this is a weather-related event. You do need a special radio for this specifically a weather radio. Some amateur or HAM radios have weather channels built into them but this is not the weather channel on your television. This is a very specific station operated by the government It gives local weather all the time. But in an emergency it will give specific alerts. I mentioned amateur radio or HAM radio. So amateur radios also called HAM radios as I said are, are radios that vary in size, power and frequency. they can be very, very large units with huge antennas coming out of the back of someone's house. or it can be a mobile unit that's in someone's vehicle or it can be a handheld unit. not unlike walkie talkies the folks use when they go hunting or camping or that fire and police use. But these are news very specific frequencies. To operate these, you'll need a license but they're pretty easy to get. these are the ones that you used to have to learn Morse code to use. but actually today, I believe all levels of the license for amateur radios no longer require you to know Morse code. At the technician level, which is the lowest level, the test is actually pretty easy. This is a Civilian Managed System. it is generally under the auspices of the FCC, the Federal Communication Commission. But there is usually a local group that talks on the radio quite a bit. There may be an amateur radio club within your area. They don't talk about much. They will talk about the weather. and at times if you are listening in it may even seem concealing. But in times of emergencies, if there is anybody out there with information and anybody out there that can get information to other people, it's usually these guys. When the last major earthquake hit out in California, there was real difficulty getting information into and out of the area to family and friends. The Amateur Radio Network across the United States set up a kind of relay system that allowed people to talk to their loved ones or at least get information about them. You do have to be careful, though. The information that you get from these folks they are civilians. they may be part of a weather watch network. They are certainly generally good people, but they are people like everybody else. So you do have to be somewhat careful about the information because it may or may not be confirmed. And these folks are going to be able to provide communication in as well as communication out. As I said, after the earthquake in California, people on the East Coast were able to contact people on the West Coast and send messages to loved ones. As well people on the West Coast contacting people across the country, telling them that they were okay. So amateur radio is certainly a viable option. Pretty easy to get a license, good way to get information in as well as information out. So, communication out. Again, there can be difficulties. Power might be off, cell phone towers could be down [COUGH] hard line telephone lines could be gone internet providers could be down. All of these things are going to stop our normal ways of communicating. So there are some things that you can do to maximize your chances of getting information out. One thing is very, very, very important. Always, always, always keep your cell phone fully charged. Charge it each night as you go to sleep. Another thing that you can do is that there are accessories in cases that you can buy for your phone that have spare batteries in it or batteries that you can connect to your phone and trickle charge it over time. The batteries inside these cases can keep your phone charged for two or three days or longer, depending on how much you use the phone. One company that does this is Mophie. but there are certainly others. There are other types of charging units. Some of these are solar-powered. some you plug into your computer or into a wall. And they become a small spare battery that you could hook up to your phone that will trickle-charge it over a period of time. Other options that you can use that will spare the battery of your phone. You can use text messages. Text messages will go though sometimes even when many of the cell, cell towers are down. They don't need quite as strong a signal and they use significantly less power. Also, have a communications plan set up with your loved ones. Pick a time within the hour when you will call. So you're going to call your wife or your parents or whoever at quarter til the hour. And you're going to turn off your phone and then turn it back on at quarter after the hour to receive any phone calls from them. In between times, your phone is turned off and this conserves power. Other options. Have a hardline phone in your house. This is something a lot of people are getting away from. But one advantage to a hardwired phone is that if the telephone wires are still up and that certainly is a big if, but if the telephone wires are, are up and connected, then the system works, the traditional old-fashioned way. It doesn't have to be a rotary phone, it can be a push-button phone, but it has to be a traditional phone. One that you do not need to plug into an outlet on the wall, but one that just hooks up into the phone line. These phones do not need an electrical power to operate. If the electricity is out, that phone will still continue to function. So that becomes a significant option. [COUGH] Have planned meeting places. This is the place where you and your family are going to meet if you can't get back to your house. Have alternate meeting sites beyond those. Pick a time and a place. And if you guys are separated, you can't get back to the house, then you have a specific meeting place and time that you're going to go to. Have an outside of the area meeting place. We've talked about this. So, something has happened in the town that you live in, and you have to leave and you're not together when you have to leave. one of you are at work, one of you are coming from someplace else. Decide that you're going to meet at a location outside of town 1 to 2 hours away or whatever but just outside the town that you live in. Have that outside of the area meeting place if it's not safe to go back to your town and you have to leave your house.
