In a major emergency ... cell phones out, cables cut, repeaters down, internet down. A LOT of citizens are going to be feeling very uncomfortable in that situation. Suddenly our "wired-in" world is completely gone.

One important aspect ... is just to have a few simple emergency messaging procedures. I just went thru this with my 8-year old in L.A. In a major disaster, if the kids at school need to leave the schoolyard for some reason, she knows to take an index card out of her backpack, write a simple message about where people are going, and pin it to the wire netting fence near the main gate. Same thing goes for our family - we have a few designated spots to pin messages in our local neighborhood. Just hand written notes.

The best backups are usually simple ideas.

Pete2