As the freezing storm looms across the country, we would like to remind our readers of some of our favorite winter storm tips from AT&T, Verizon and Sprint.
Program all of your emergency contact numbers and email addresses into your mobile phone. Numbers should include the police department, fire station and hospital, as well as your family members.
Keep your phone fully charged. Cold temperatures can run down the
phone's battery charge more quickly. Use a car charger to keep the
phone's charge if you get stranded or stuck in traffic on icy or snowy
roads. Think about an extra battery as backup.
Handle your phone with care. The display screen can become brittle when exposed to cold temperatures for long periods of time.
Keep
your phone in a warm place. Avoid leaving it in an outside pocket or
backpack or in the car overnight. When outside in the cold weather,
carry your phone in an inside jacket pocket, keeping it close to your
body for warmth.
Remember that you can't dial or access the keyboard
on a touchscreen with gloves, so consider investing in a pair of
finger flip gloves or special touchscreen gloves,
Make sure you have a "Winter Storm Phone."
It is a good idea to have a wireless phone on hand and at least one
corded (landline) telephone that is not dependent on electricity in case
of a power outage. Cordless telephones usually have receivers that
require electricity, so they won't work if you lose your power.
Keep non-emergency calls to a minimum.
If there is severe weather, chances are that many people will be attempting
to place calls to loved ones, friends and business associates.
Check your phone's signal strength in a non-emergency situation to know where the signal is strong and where it's not.
It is also a good idea to have a car charger and extra charged battery available. Some people have invested in solar phone chargers or fuel cell chargers. Don't let your cell phone get exposed to water.
We like the idea of having an emergency cell phone plan in place. Sometimes networks get stressed in a small area, and having a family member to call/text outside the area is a good idea.
Remember that you may not be able to email people. There is an iPhone Snows Days app that lets you know when schools are closed.
Sprint previously suggested these apps:
- In Case of Emergency (ICE) - Available in the Android
Market
and BlackBerry App World, ICE provides EMTs with critical
personal and medical data including name, important notificationtelephone numbers, blood type, allergies, physician's name and
number,
and existing medical conditions. -
First Aid - This app offers instructions
to
offer first aid. It has illustrations, videos and short
texts
that show how to take the necessary action in the correct order.Available in Android Market.
- Droid 911 - Android users can use
Droid 911
to find the nearest police stations, fire stations, hospitals,
tow
trucks, auto repair shops, gas stations and ATM machines, based
on
your location. Available in Android Market.
If a natural disaster escalates to a point where you have to be evacuated for any reason, contact your carrier. They often offer free voicemail and landline call forwarding during a disaster, as they did with the fires in Southern California.