It’s a popular joke that if it’s snowing in the morning, sunny by the afternoon and raining again that night; then you’re in Nebraska. While the day-to-day weather may be unpredictable, one thing Nebraskans can count on is severe weather including tornadoes, torrential rain, hail and more.
With severe weather season right around the corner, it’s time to take a look at how prepared you are when it comes to keeping lines of communication open and available should a tornado hit.
Severe weather, such as tornadoes and straight winds, is an annual fact of living in the Cornhusker State and can wreak havoc on electrical systems across the state. This severe weather can cause downed power lines potentially leaving residents without power for days, which can leave cell phones and computers out of power before the electricity comes back on.
A simple, corded landline phone doesn’t require electricity to operate, meaning it can keep you covered in the event of long-term power failure. While you don’t have to have a landline to call emergency services, calling family members to ensure they’re OK or work to let them know of the situation, will require landline service.
During a power outage, a landline phone may also be the only way to receive information during a crisis since TVs, radios and other devices will be inoperable. Those who rely on a cell phone as their sole phone device may end up stranded without a way to get in touch with friends, family and other contacts. Even a fully charged mobile phone or laptop will only have a few hours of power with regular use.
Furthermore, because cell phones operate using radio waves, they are much more susceptible to service loss during times of peak use. If a large number of cell phones are trying to use the same radio signal to transmit a call, the calls become “jammed.” Landlines don’t use radio frequencies and are much more likely to be able to handle the amount of call traffic an emergency generates.
When facing severe weather, you don’t want to have to worry about get in touch with people. Find out more about landline service from Great Plains Communications at https://gpcom.com/residential/phone or by calling our Customer Response Center at 1-888-343-8014.