If you have no phone or internet in an emergency

An emergency could mean you lose access to your:

• phone lines
• internet connection.

In most emergencies it is best to stay at home if it is safe to do so.

You should make your home the place where everyone in your house meets in an emergency.

Make sure everyone knows another place they can go if they cannot get home safely.

If you lose your phone / internet connection:

• what will you do?
• how will you:
  • keep in touch with people?
  • meet up with other people?
  • keep up with important information / updates?

Make a plan with your family so you all know:

• how you will get in touch with each other
• where you will meet if an emergency happens.

If you have children in school / an early childhood centre you should think about who will go to them if you cannot.

Give the school / early childhood centre a list of 3 people you trust who can pick them up for you.

It is a good idea to have a radio that is:

• powered by batteries

or

• solar powered.

Keep a list of which radio stations to listen to for information.

Sometimes when local phone lines are not working you can still get in touch with people outside the area where you live.

You should have someone you can contact in an emergency who does not live in your area called an out-of-town contact person.

Make sure everyone in your house knows who this person is.

In an emergency you should get everyone to check in with your out-of-town contact person by:

• sending a text message
• sending a message online.

You should write down a list of important phone numbers.

Keep the list of important phone numbers in a place that means everyone in the house can find it easily.

You should not use the phone in an emergency unless it is to make an emergency call to 111.

This is so that the phone lines can be kept clear for calls to emergency services.

You should use other ways of contacting other people if you need to such as:

• social media
• text messages.