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A Digital Emergency Kit
This article was originally published on Family Security Matters. View Original Article 
We love to communicate especially on our cell phones and over the Internet. There are some easy to use, inexpensive technologies that you might want to consider having on hand that increase the likelihood of being able to communicate with your loved ones in case of an emergency. Since the majority of us now communicate via cell phone or Internet, it is important to understand how those items might be affected during a disaster or emergency.
The United States has one of the most extensive and reliable communications infrastructures on the planet, yet these infrastructures are not immune from either temporary or sustained outages. That can mean anything from lack of electricity, to lack of cell phone capacity, to no Internet.
Here are a few technologies (old and new) to consider having handy to ensure that you and your family are ready in the event of an emergency:
Over Land or Over Air?
Don’t throw out that old landline home phone you have. When cell phones were first introduced, we didn’t think about getting rid of our landlines, we thought of our cell phones as an additional way to be reached. Fifteen years later many of us have begun replacing our home phones with our cell phones. However, with “five nines” of availability (99.999%) as their standard, landlines remain the most reliable form of connection.
Now here is where it gets tricky. If the telecommunications network in your area is damaged in a disaster your landline phone may not work. In that case grab the cell phone! It may be your only method of communication.
Strength in Power.
It is hard for some of us to imagine life without cell phones, and it is awful to hear the ugly beeping that tells us our battery is spent. But If there is an electrical failure, you may not be able to charge your cell phone. Therefore, you should always have a few Portable Cell phone chargers on hand. Think of how much we rely on our cell phones, and not just to talk. Our cell phones hold a lot of personal information that we use on a daily basis, like our contacts, text messages, cameras and more.
Portable cell phone chargers come in all shapes and sizes and are reasonably priced and easy to find in stores. Look for those that use AA or AAA batteries and be sure to buy extras. Most of these devices don’t fully recharge the phone, but they are great in a pinch. You should consider putting a couple of chargers in your car as well.
When buying the phone chargers, be sure you get one that is compatible with your cell phone or has an assortment of adapters included. By the way, they now also make portable chargers that work with iPods, which the kids will want to use if there is not electricity.
Neither Over Land nor Over Sea
It’s possible that an emergency could wipe out both cell phones and landline service. But the Internet may still work. If you have broadband, you should consider getting VoIP.
No, a VoIP is not from Mars.
Also referred to as a "softphone", this is a software- based phone that works over the Internet. The software enables calls to be made from computers.
Basically, you pick your carrier, download their software to your computer, and plug in a little pair of headphones and a dial pad pops up on your screen that looks just like any ordinarily calling pad. Some carriers give you their software on a key, and you can take your “key” with you anywhere you go and use it on any computer. Most VoIP providers offer a full range of services from call forwarding to conference calling.
Dial the number you want and begin talking. It is really that simple. You get a phone number so others can call you and most have voicemail that you can retrieve from any phone -- landline, cell phone, even Internet phone. Also, many services allow voicemail will be sent automatically from your VoIP/softphone account directly to your email account. Then you can plug a set of earphones into your computer and listen to the message. There are lots of choices in this market so shop around and figure out which one is best for your needs.
You can take it with you!
In a disaster or an emergency you may want information from your computer, but your computer may not be available. Now, there are tools that let us keep the data on our computers with us at all times. This allows you to access your Internet files and documents, even if you can’t use your own computer.
USB Storage Key:
Also known as a "jump-drive", "keychain drive", "flash drive", "portable storage device", and "plug-and-play" — don’t leave home without one. These little devices are available at any store that sells electronics, as well as in some drug stores. They are lightweight and actually fit on a key chain. What is amazing is that these little devices can hold all the information you have on your computer. All you have to do is plug it in and decide which files you want stored on it. When you are done copying the files, you unplug the device and take it with you. This tiny device can have all your contact information, family medical records, insurance information, family photos or any other documents you consider vital.
If you are worried you might lose this little key, they come with tutorials that teach you how to secure the stored information. This means you can take your data with you, and you can then get your data from any computer, anywhere. These little keys ensure that you always have data you and your family may need. The directions that come with these devices are very easy to follow and can be handled by a non techie.
Back-up Storage:
If you are worried that you might lose a USB storage key, there are other ways to get to all of the data currently stored in your computer without having access to your computer. Today many companies are offering online storage. This means you can "back-up" or “upload” your files to an Internet server managed by any one of a number of companies offering the service. You decide what you may need or want in an emergency and store it online (to a remote server). Back-up storage options are generally very secure, and you can usually access your backed up files from any device that has Internet connectivity. This is a simple way to have your information securely kept and ready for you when you need it most. You can find free online storage from a number of sources, and for a little extra each month, you can get a few additional features.
Below is a short list of items to consider storing on your USB Key or with back-up storage.
- Contact information
- Medical records
- Insurance information, including health, life, property, auto
- ID’s and passwords
- Banking information
- Account numbers
- Anything work related that you must absolutely have
- Family photos
- Important Documents, like property papers or birth certificates (these can be scanned in by a computer scanner and saved on your computer)
Forward Thinking Is Here!
Unified Communications
This is a term you will hear more frequently over time, and not a second too soon; it’s about time they “unified” some of this technology to make it easier on us users. Unified communication is a new service that will become useful in an emergency. It will allow messages to be sent to you in every imaginable way, so it won’t matter if one device or the other isn’t available. A 21st Century form of “Call Waiting,” you might call it. Basically, it provides for the real time distribution of messages.
For example, with the list of options above you can see the potential of having several different numbers at which you can be reached. But chances are in a disaster or emergency you will only have one phone. With unified communications, a caller would leave you a voice message and that message would be sent to all of your phones and/or services. More importantly, it also means that the voicemail you received will also be sent to your email accounts or an online account given by the provider. This is an interesting advancement, and with it you can see that it will be easier to ensure that you can always be reached one way or another, assuming you want to be!