The advancement in wireless technology has encouraged many people to abandon standard communication methods. The number of households who have landlines has decreased over the last several years. There are those who prefer to have a mobile phone that they can utilize anywhere instead of a traditional landline that they can only have access to while in their home. Hurricane Sandy, however, revealed that having only a cell phone could be an issue during a natural disaster.
Cell Tower Vulnerability
Hurricane Sandy damaged many cell towers in its path. This left many cell phone customers without service. That meant that they couldn't contact family members to let them know that they were safe or to receive updates from the local government about the path of the storm and evacuation details.
Cell Lines Jamming
The large number of people trying to use cell towers often jammed the lines so that calls were dropped or couldn't go through during the storm. In some areas the government requested that citizens refrain from using their cell phones so that emergency crews could utilize the airwaves for their communication.
Inability to Charge Batteries
Another problem during Hurricane Sandy was the large number of power outages. This meant people using their cell phones were unable to recharge them when their batteries died. Because many people were utilizing their cell phones not only for communication but also Internet searches for gas stations, power outage updates and traps for sale to catch vermin in their storm-struck homes, their cell phones died quickly and then they were left without a way to communicate.
Hurricane Sandy showed that while wireless communication has taken great strides over the last few years, it cannot be relied upon as the sole source of communication and Internet access during a disaster.
About Author: Aaron Walker is a technology enthusiast who loves trying new gadgets, hiking, and reading historical fiction. He loves that writing allows him to tap into any of his interests.