What should I do when my phone stops working during an emergency?

Try texting before calling — texts route through congested networks more reliably than voice calls. Switch to Wi-Fi calling if cell service is degraded but you have internet. Check in via Facebook Safety Check or similar tools to let people know you're safe. If cell service is fully down, fall back to your pre-arranged meeting points and out-of-state contact, then switch to radio communication.

What is the most important communication preparation a household can make?

A written family communication plan with an out-of-state contact, two meeting points, and every household member's key information. Local cell networks get congested or fail during major emergencies while long-distance calls often still connect — an out-of-state contact acts as a relay point. The plan works even for members without smartphones.

Do I need a license to use a walkie-talkie?

FRS (Family Radio Service) radios require no license and are legal for anyone to use. GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service) radios require an FCC license that costs $35 and covers your entire immediate family for 10 years — no exam required. Ham radio requires passing a written exam for each license level. For household emergency communication, FRS radios are the simplest starting point.

How do I get emergency alerts on my phone?

Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) are sent automatically to all capable phones in an affected area — no signup required. For local alerts beyond WEA, register with your county or city emergency management system (often Everbridge or Nixle). Download the FEMA app and enable location-based alerts. Program a NOAA Weather Radio for your area for broadcast alerts that work even when the cell network fails.

Home Self-reliance Communications

SELF-RELIANCE · COMMUNICATIONS

Stay informed. Stay connected.

Two tracks. One for the moment phones and networks fail. One for building communication capability that outlasts any emergency.

When it fails Build capability

WHEN COMMUNICATIONS FAIL

Two guides for when the network goes down.

Cell towers run on backup generators, typically 8 to 24 hours. After that, or during a major event that saturates the network, normal communication assumptions break down. These guides cover what to do and how to think clearly when that happens.

Communication When Phones Fail

A scenario-by-scenario protocol for degraded cell service, full network outages, and extended communication blackouts. Texts vs. calls, out-of-state contacts, kids at school, neighborhood coordination, and when to switch to radio.

Information Hygiene

How emergency officials communicate, how to verify what you're hearing, how to use social media as a data source without being misled, and how to manage information overload so you can act instead of scroll.

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BUILD YOUR COMMUNICATION CAPABILITY

Fifteen guides for before anything goes wrong.

Most communication preparedness is about what you set up before the emergency. The alert systems, the family plan, the radios, the paper backup. None of them work if you're building them during the event.

Emergency Alerts

Wireless emergency alerts, NOAA Weather Radio, FEMA app, local alert systems, school and utility notifications. Set up every channel and know what each alert type means.

Family Communication Plan

Out-of-state contact strategy, meeting points, school pickup protocols, members without smartphones, elderly relatives, and pets. Printable plan template included.

Radio Basics

AM/FM, NOAA Weather Radio, FRS, GMRS, ham, CB, scanner, satellite communicators, and mesh networks. An honest overview of every radio option and who each one is for.

FRS & GMRS Radios

Walkie-talkies for household and neighborhood coordination. Licensing reality, range truth vs. marketing claims, what to buy, programming basics, and channel plans for your household.

Ham Radio

The Technician license exam is approachable and worth it. What the license makes possible, emergency nets, ARES and RACES, recommended first radios, and how to find your local club.

Satellite Communicators

Garmin inReach, SPOT, Zoleo, and Iridium GO. Who actually needs one, subscription costs, two-way vs. one-way, SOS functionality, and urban vs. rural use cases.

Communication Layers

Build redundancy using the PACE framework: Primary, Alternate, Contingency, Emergency. When one method fails, the next is already in place. Includes a printable PACE card.

GMRS Radio Guide

The $35 license walkthrough, repeater access, vehicle and base station setups, channel planning, and how to build a neighborhood radio network with GMRS as the hub.

Mesh Networking

Build a neighborhood text network with $25 LoRa radios. No license, no subscription, no cell towers. Meshtastic, MeshCore, solar repeaters, and growing your mesh.

Antennas and Radio Installs

Height beats watts. Which antenna and coax to buy, how to read SWR, what the FCC and your HOA allow, and how to ground, mount, and install radios safely at home and in a vehicle.

Powering Your Radios

How long each radio really runs on batteries, which cells and packs to stock, how to build a 12-volt supply for a base station, and how to recharge from solar or a vehicle without a fire or a carbon monoxide call.

Radio Etiquette and Drills

How to talk on a radio so the message gets through, the FCC rules that actually apply, how to run a household or neighborhood net with a log, and six drills with pass marks that fit into ordinary evenings.

MURS and CB Radios

Two license-free services most households have never considered: MURS for a wooded property with a real antenna, and CB for the highway and evacuation routes. Channels, power, range, and setup.

Listening and Scanners

NOAA Weather Radio done right, local broadcast stations identified in advance, what a scanner can still legally hear as departments encrypt, shortwave, SDR, and the monitor's job.

Paper Preparedness

Maps, contacts, medical information, checklists, utility shutoff instructions, and local directories. What to laminate, what goes in your 72-hour kit, and how to keep it all current.

WHERE TO START

Start with what matters right now.

Phones and networks failing

Read the protocol first

The Communication When Phones Fail guide walks through every scenario from degraded service to full blackout: what to try, in what order, and when to switch to a different system entirely.

Communication Protocol

Building ahead

Set up your alert systems

Emergency Alerts covers every system worth having: wireless alerts, NOAA Weather Radio, your local system, and school and utility notifications. Takes under an hour to set up all of them.

Emergency Alerts

Related avocation

Amateur Radio

Ham radio as a practice: propagation puzzles, long-distance contacts, the technical community, and how the emergency communications capability grows naturally from the hobby.