Are You Natural Disaster Ready? How to Master National Preparedness Month

From creating a Go Bag to turning on Wi-Fi Calling, these simple tips can go a long way if natural disasters hit.

In the midst of a record-breaking wildfire season and a highly active hurricane season, it’s more crucial than ever to be ready if disaster hits. Yet nearly half of American adults in 2023 believed they were unprepared for a disaster, according to FEMA.

T-Mobile has taken significant steps to further prepare its network, teams and emergency response capabilities to keep customers, communities and first responders connected. This National Preparedness Month, here are some tips from T-Mobile that can help you be ready when it matters most.

Make your phone disaster-proof

Most of us have friends, family and coworkers programmed in our phones. But in an emergency, you may need to contact local police, fire departments or power companies. Program these numbers now so you don’t spend precious time looking them up during an emergency.

When disaster hits, enable your phone’s battery saving mode and dark mode to conserve charge. Keep calls and texts to a minimum. Download the American Red Cross and FEMA apps, subscribe to local authorities’ text alerts and follow them on social networks to receive important updates.

If your power and Wi-Fi connection are still on but your mobile service is down, you may be able to call someone via Wi-Fi.

• For Apple phones, turn on Wi-Fi Calling in Settings > Phone > Wi-Fi Calling
• For Android phones, go to Settings > More Connection Settings > Wi-Fi Calling.

Sometimes during a severe weather event or natural disaster, increased calls and texts at the same time can cause telecommunications networks to become congested. If you have trouble making calls, try texting instead. Text messages are more likely to get through than phone calls because they take up fewer network resources.

Assemble a Go Bag

Save precious time if disaster strikes by having a “Go Bag,” which you can grab at a moment’s notice and evacuate.

The American Red Cross recommends packing basic supplies including:

• Water: one gallon per person, per day (3-day supply for evacuation, 2-week supply for home)
• Food: non-perishable, easy-to-prepare items (3-day supply for evacuation, 2-week supply for home)
• Flashlight
• Battery-powered or hand-crank radio (NOAA Weather Radio, if possible)
• Extra batteries
• First aid kit
• Medications (7-day supply) and medical items
• Multi-purpose tool
• Sanitation and personal hygiene items
• Copies of personal documents (medication list and pertinent medical information, proof of address, deed/lease to home, passports, birth certificates, insurance policies)
• Cell phone with chargers
• Family and emergency contact information
• Extra cash
• Emergency blanket
• Map(s) of the area

You can also create a family emergency plan ahead of time with steps you and your loved ones can take if a natural disaster hits. This printable plan includes a meeting place and contact information so you can act quickly.

Stay safe and calm — T-Mobile’s on your side

T-Mobile’s network engineers prepare for weather conditions throughout the year so they can restore service if needed as soon as possible. But hazardous conditions may cause delays. Downed trees, power outages and other obstacles can hinder restoration efforts. Engineers will make repairs as soon as it’s safe to do so.

T-Mobile’s teams also constantly upgrade towers, network switches, data centers and other critical sites nationwide to make them more reliable, more resilient and better able to withstand disasters across big cities, rural areas and everywhere in between.

This disaster season, T-Mobile has been supporting customers and first responders around the country after hurricane Beryl, hurricane Debby and tropical storm Ernesto. T-Mobile offered Wi-Fi, power, device charging, charging supplies and other services for the community, and supported first responders by supplying Wi-Fi and connectivity for them to access critical applications such as group communication, and patient and asset-tracking platforms.

Amid wildfires in Colorado and California in August, T-Mobile’s network held up well while emergency teams deployed resources to provide first responders and other public safety agencies with critical support. T-Mobile’s Emergency Response teams worked to keep connectivity uninterrupted and public safety agencies and local officials connected.

T-Mobile is continuously growing its disaster response capabilities to ensure customers can communicate with loved ones and authorities. Ahead of this year’s disaster season, the Un-carrier has expanded its fleet of network vehicles, hardened its network with permanent backup power solutions, and turned on new 2.5 GHz spectrum to boost critical coverage and capacity for nearly 60 million customers across the country.

T-Mobile is also teaming up with all levels of government, first responder agencies, public utilities, wireless industry partners and others to learn from previous disasters and foster continued collaboration for future response and restoration efforts.

First responders and emergency officials can sign up for Wireless Priority Service (WPS) to automatically get priority access and preemption for voice and priority access for data on T-Mobile’s network at no cost. When seconds matter during times of emergency or network congestion, WPS moves critical communications to the front of the line.

This year, T-Mobile introduced the Community Support Advocates Program (CSAP). With this program, employees across the business get fully trained on T-Mobile’s disaster response protocols and can then offer additional support to communities impacted by disasters across the country. CSAP members, which are growing in numbers, were on standby for hurricanes Beryl and Debby just months after the program’s launch.

Don’t wait until an emergency is looming to prepare. Taking key actions now can help you stay safe, informed and connected during a natural disaster, and help you recover in the aftermath.

For more information from T-Mobile on communications and disaster preparedness, check out www.t-mobile.com/news/un-carrier/t-mobile-ready-to-respond.

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This article is cross-posted on T-Mobile Newsroom here: Are You Natural Disaster Ready? How to Master National Preparedness Month - T-Mobile Newsroom