Dealing with disasters increasingly requires a smartphone – losing access can be a nightmare, but there are ways to prepare

Mobile phones have become part of just about everyone’s emergency infrastructure. But what do you do when the power and service go out?

By: Lee Ann Rawlins Williams, University of North Dakota, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: August 17, 2026

Words: 825

Last Updated: 23 hours, 42 minutes ago

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By Lee Ann Rawlins Williams, University of North Dakota

In the span of a week in August 2026, powerful storms and deadly flooding knocked out power to a half-million people across the Midwest; Tropical Storm Lala cut power to thousands more in Hawaii amid dangerous wind and flooding; wildfires forced evacuations in the western U.S.; and a powerful earthquake struck Colombia.

All were reminders of how quickly ordinary routines …

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