August 30, 2019

Communicating During an Emergency

Communicating During an Emergency:
Alternatives to Phone Calls





I am based on the Florida Gulf Coast. For the past week or so, we have been watching Hurricane Dorian. As the storm gets closer to Florida, the misinformation starts circulating.  And there is a whole lot of misinformation circulating when it comes to communicating with others during an Emergency Event.

Facebook and Twitter are riddled with posts about which app to download so you can still communicate when you have no service.  Cell phones are great, but they are not magic. NO APP will work when you have no service whatsoever. But there are many apps that will function perfectly fine when cell service is down and internet service is up.  You need to have some strategy in mind that does not rely on voice communications and/or working cellular service.  You do need to plan for how you will contact folks when cell lines are overloaded.  In this article, we'll look at what you need to do to prep for this type of situation.

Why Can't I Depend on Cell Service During an Emergency?


Unfortunately, our cell towers are overloaded in many places. Different towers have different carriers, and often, your carrier may not have service on a particular tower. Additionally, different towers have different capacities. During emergencies, certain frequencies may be set aside for Emergency Officials and Governmental communications only, leaving little capacity to serve other callers.  Voice calls are more taxing on the infrastructure than data transmissions, so calls may not go through. Additionally, cell service transmitters are often the first thing to fail in any type of storm.  For this reason, it is better for everyone if you limit voice communications and switch to data communications, whenever possible.  If you must use voice communications, it is preferable to use those that rely on wifi or VOIP, rather than those that utilize the over-taxed cell system.


What Can I Use as an Alternative to a Cell Phone Call?


In 2019, everyone needs to have a wifi calling app on their phone.  Most carriers equip their handsets with wifi calling apps, as wifi is becoming much more ubiquitous than cell service.  Many providers will default to wifi calling when cellular service is not available, but not all do.  Check with your own carrier to see if they will automatically switch over to wifi, or as an alternative, make sure you have a third-party wifi messaging app installed.

What Apps Do Wifi Calling and Messaging?


There are a plethora of apps that can do wifi calling or messaging, and chances are you have one installed already. The downside of many of these apps is that both parties need to have the app installed to communicate with each other.

First of all, most modern phones can send text messages over wifi. If you want to see if your phone will, merely put the phone into Airplane mode, turn on wifi, and try to send a text. Some older phones may not be able to send a text over wifi, and some carriers may block this ability. If this is your case, you may need to look at an alternative solution.

If you are an Apple User, Facetime has wifi calling capabilities, so long as you enable them under its settings.   But you cannot call an Android user using Facetime. You can call an iPad, but you cannot call a PC or a landline using Facetime.

If you are an Android user, chances are you have Google Hangouts on your phone.  Hangouts allows you to call other users over wifi.  And you register for the service using your Google ID, something almost every tech user already has.  Google also offers an add-on app that allows you to call ANY phone number, including landlines and iPhones.  This app is called Hangouts Dialer.  If you are not Google averse, Hangouts Dialer is fantastic to have for use in any emergency, and it is one of the few options that does not depend on the other party having the same app installed.  Unfortunately, Google warns you may incur charges for calling phone numbers outside the Hangouts app. In other words, it is mostly free, but not always 100% free, like other app to app options are.  You can call or message another Hangouts user using the Hangouts app itself, but you can only voice call a person outside of Hangouts.  But if you need to call a landline, you will not be able to text anyway.

Facebook Messenger can do voice calls or messaging over wifi or cellular data.  But you can only message those who have Facebook accounts. And you can only voice call those who have the messenger app installed (or use it via PC) and do not have Messenger Calling blocked.  But it can be a very effective way to communicate with fellow Facebook users during an emergency.  Likewise, WhatsApp is a popular messaging app that works over wifi or cellular. But it is owned by Facebook, and both parties must have the app.  And many people are wary of using anything Facebook related.

Skype is another popular calling and messaging app. Skype also works over wifi or cellular data. But again, both parties must have Skype installed for this to be an option.  Both parties must also have Skype accounts. And Skype's user-base has diminished over the years. These days, it is primarily used as a low cost International calling application.  Skype comes pre-installed on many systems, but few people actually activate it.  If you do not know that the person you are trying to reach is already a Skype user, it is not a great Emergency calling alternative.

Zello is an app that gives your phone walkie-talkie capabilities, but again, all parties must have the app installed. (And contrary to urban legend, Zello does need internet to operate. It will not magically turn your phone into a satellite phone, nor allow communications when internet is down.)  Zello works over cellular internet or wifi, and is one of the few apps that works well over older, 2G networks.  Zello also offers public channels, which may be handy for exchanging information with friends you haven't met yet during an emergency situation. (Yet Zello can be sketchy at times. To learn why, read Tech and a Storm Event Part 2: Communications--What Worked and What Didn't. )

There are new wifi calling and messaging apps popping up all the time, and there are many free apps with these capabilities in app stores. These are just a few of the best known and widely installed options.

Which Solution Do I Use?


Hangouts, Skype, Zello, and Facebook Messenger all offer PC-based apps as well as Smartphone apps.  They are all available on both android and ios.  Facetime is only available for apple devices.  This is something to take into consideration when deciding on which app(s) are best for you.

Another thing to consider is what your family and friends are comfortable using.  A lot of parents and grandparents are not all that tech savvy. You may need to use different solutions with different members of your own network.  And if you are the "older generation" part of your family, you may need to suggest which solution the younger ones use to reach out to you.  It is okay to tell your granddaughter that you do not want to have to learn to use Facebook, Snapchat, or WhatsApp just to hear she is safe. It is also okay to tell your son to please check in with the granddaughter on Facebook and then to call you.

In fact, when service is scarce, it is not a bad idea to have a phone tree established. If you have a lot of family outside the affected area, assign one person to be the point of contact who can "pass it on" to others. That way, you do not need to waste precious resources calling Sis, Bro, Grandma, Pops, etc.  You can just call Sis and ask her to call the rest of the gang. Likewise, if you are a Facebook user, you can tell Bro who is also Facebook addicted that you'll post updates there, and can he please call Mom when he sees them.

What is most important is to decide on a communication strategy BEFORE a disaster hits.  Planning communication strategies should be a part of your Emergency Preparation Routine, along with gathering supplies, charging electronics,  and filling water jugs.  And it is not a bad idea to do a "practice run" BEFORE a storm hits, so you are comfortable using your chosen communication system when the time comes. And because ALL of these options WILL be overloaded during an emergency, it's never a bad idea to have a backup plan, in case your first choice is too overloaded at the time you want to use it.

I personally installed Hangouts Dialer, because it's not a bad thing to have. But because I live on a barrier island, I keep a good old-fashioned landline, as it is the MOST dependable communication mechanism during a storm. I also have a 1980s era "Princess Phone" that functions fine without power, internet, or cell service. It was the ONLY thing I could count on post-Irma, and many of my friends who had given up landlines came by to use it. I also took messages from folks outside the area to pass on.  But during the period I was evacuated, I depended on wifi calling.  My own carrier, Google Fi, was the only cell provider working when the hotel's power and switchboard went down. And my power banks kept the cell phone charged during the duration of the storm.

While I was evacuated, I used wifi calling, Facebook,  Facebook Messenger and good old SMS to keep in touch with others. Our own Police Department used their Facebook page to communicate when the evacuation was lifted and it was safe to return. When the cell tower came back up, backed up voice messages from the "Code Red Alert" system started coming in, several days late.  I had Hangouts Dialer installed, but because Google Fi defaults to wifi calling, when available, I never actually had to use it. It is a free, lightweight app, and it is not a bad one to have in your arsenal.  The bottom line is you need to make a communication plan. You need to pick an app and a central contact who lives outside of the storm impacted area, if at all possible. And let folks in your circle know what strategy you intend to use during and after the event.

And do not forget the Power Banks. No phone battery is going to outlast the duration of an Emergency. Charging stations will be scarce as well.

Summary


In this post, we looked at communicating during an emergency situation, like a storm or a hurricane.  Although there is no one size fits all solution, there are many popular apps that can function while cell service is down. In this day and age, folks can utilize wifi based communications in any type of emergency event. Some of the better known options include Google Hangouts, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, FaceTime, Skype, and Zello.  But because most solutions require both parties to have accounts, planning ahead is the key to success. Planning your communication strategy needs to be a part of your emergency prep routine.

Although this post was specific to communications, Techlaurels previously talked about planning for emergencies, as well as what worked, what didn't, and what is good to have in your Emergency Kits.  You may also want to read these articles:






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