Updated On 3/2/21
In the middle of a busy, but quiet day in a Midwestern university lecture hall, the silence was pierced by a sudden hail of gunfire. Students ran out of the hall and ducked under tables.
As the police and security were struggling to control the situation, a number of the student’s parents not only knew that their children were all right, but they knew exactly what was happening in real time.
So how did some people have a window into the NIU tragedy while others did not?
Facebook and Twitter!
As unlikely as it sounds, students ingeniously found a way to use their favorite method of keeping in touch with friends, as a tool to connect to the outside world in the middle of a crisis.
Students caught under desks and tables grabbed their smartphones and started communicating.
Tweets went out on Twitter, notes and messages went up on Facebook pages, telling friends and family that students, who were literally in the thick of things, were all right.
Others told loved ones or security officers the location of trapped students, facilitating their rescue. Friends started texting each other to find out where everyone was and, in the hours that followed, created Facebook pages memorializing the fallen.
It was an amazing display of people, who are connected 24/7, using that same technology to communicate, connect, survive and heal.
Since disasters are completely unpredictable, the only way to prepare yourself and your family is to give yourselves as many different avenues of communication as possible. You never know which one will make the difference.
Want to learn how your family can use technology to communicate during an emergency? Then let’s get started.
Make Your Family Findable
Smartphones, tablets and notebook computers are a phenomenal way to stay in touch with each other during an emergency. Whether you send an email, text, tweet or Facebook message, you can find out the location and condition of everyone you love in seconds.
In a dire emergency, you can even send help, confirm or update emergency plans and even mobilize family and friends to be at the side of someone who’s been injured, using real time information.
Since emergencies are by nature, completely unpredictable, the best way to prepare yourself and your family is to give yourselves as many different avenues of communication as possible. You never know which one will make the difference.
For example during Japan’s major earthquakes cell phone towers barely worked because of earthquake damage and overloaded networks. But Wi-Fi was up and running. So what kept the Japanese connected with their families and the outside world? Twitter, Facebook, Skype and YouTube!
Whether we’re talking about earthquakes, wildfires or tornadoes, giving yourself and your family options is a smart idea.
Update Your Smartphones
When you created your Family Evacuation Plan (if you haven’t done that yet, you’ll find one in our book “Keep Your Stuff Safe“), you listed the phone numbers, email addresses and social media addresses for each family member in your household.
Now we’re going to take that one step further by adding all of that information to each family member’s iPhones, Galaxies, and other smartphones. While you’re at it, add new contacts on everyone’s phones for all of your out-of-area emergency contacts.
If cell phone service is down and you are unable to text, don’t forget that Twitter and Facebook can also be used to send direct messages. Those are personal messages that only go to the recipient – not broadcast to the whole world. If you don’t know how to send a direct message, here’s a quick tutorial.
First, you need to make sure that every member of your family is following or has “liked” all of the other family members on Twitter and Facebook. That will enable you to direct message each other.
For Twitter, click on Messages, then Direct Messages and then type in @ and the family member’s username. Then type in your message and hit send.
For Facebook, click the little message icon at the top of your page (between the little people and the little earth). Then click Send New Message and type in the name of the recipient or recipients and click send.
When Time Is An Issue…
Using a social media platform like HootSuite.com may help. With HootSuite, you can send a single message that can be posted to Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn simultaneously, ensuring that your family or friends would see your message immediately, no matter what site they happen to be on at the moment.
The Value Of A Photo
During a few recent tornadoes, even lifelong residents found themselves disoriented when the tornado turned their normal landmarks into kindling.
If your spouse or kids don’t know where they are after an emergency and need help a quick photo texted or uploaded to Instagram or Facebook could help you locate them. This is especially true of GPS enabled phones or cameras, like the Sony HX400V Compact Digital Camera that can send or upload those photos to others via Wi-Fi.
Creating A Communications Plan
Once you and your family have updated your phones and completed your evacuation plans, sit down with them to discuss the ways you can use technology to stay in touch with each other during a disaster.
Come up with some sample scenarios; for example, if a disaster were to happen while your family members were at work, at school or running errands during a normal day.
How would you connect with each other?
Would you text each other, or would calling or emailing be faster?
If you have teens or young adults at home, their natural proclivity may be to send out a text or a tweet on Twitter, to update everyone, including you, on their location or situation.
Find out the types of communication everyone prefers and then create an emergency communication plan that makes sense for your family.
Another great discussion to have with your family, especially with school age children, is what they would do if they had to get a hold of you but the cell phone system was out, or what to do if there was an area-wide blackout. Don’t laugh, that actually happened to us in California!
Kids are so used to technology that they might not have the experience that they need to do things the old school way. The best way to plan is to give yourselves as many ways as possible to stay connected. Then if one or two normal methods are unusable, you’ll all simply turn to a different method to reach each other.
Grab The Sat Phone!
If you’re in an area with frequent emergencies like tornadoes or hurricanes, live out in the country or have a family member in a foreign country, consider getting satellite phones.
One of our personal favorites is the Iridium Extreme Satellite Phone. It works in remote areas where there is no cell phone coverage and when cell towers are down. If you don’t want the expense of a dedicated satellite phone, there are a few devices that turn your smartphone into a satellite phone, like the Iridium GO! Satellite Phone Wi-Fi Hotspot.
Code Word Clearance Or Higher?
Lastly, consider creating a Family Emergency Code or Word. This is a code or word that only you and your immediate family know. When a family member says it, texts it or emails it to the rest of the family, it signals that they’re in trouble and need help.
It’s only to be used in extreme emergency and means that everyone needs to drop what they’re doing and establish contact with each other, immediately.
Find My Family ASAP
Find My Friends is an iPhone app that is designed to let you know at a glance where your friends are. But you can also use it to immediately locate your children, spouse and loved ones in an emergency.
All your family has to do is allow you access on their phones, and if need be, you can immediately see where everyone is in real time, complete with map and directions.
For a book’s worth of tips and tools on keeping your family safe, sound, healthy and findable, pick up a copy of our book “At Your Fingertips” in paperback or via instant download.
Have Fun Getting Your Stuff Together!
At Your Fingertips | Make Your Smartphone Even Smarter
What if I told you, there was something you have with you right now, that can give you the support, information & ability you need to keep everyone and everything you love safe and sound, PLUS the power to gather your family in seconds no matter where they are. What is it? It’s your smartphone! At Your Fingertips is an easy to read, easy to use guide that turns your smartphone into your very own life preserver. Paperback Or Instant Download
Keep Everything You Love Safe | The Book Inspired By The Blog
Keep Everything You Love Safe, is filled with quick, easy, 5 minute steps you can take right now, to get everything that’s important to you organized, safe, sound and accessible. Each section covers a different area, from backing up and fixing family photos, home movies and music, to vital documents, medical and financial information and even getting your digital life in order. Paperback Or Instant Download