Author: Yong-Bee Lim, Graduate Student Intern,Division for At-Risk Individuals, Behavioral Health, and Community Resilience

Whether it is a fast-building derecho or a slow-moving superstorm, power outages often go hand-in-hand with natural disasters. Power outages aren’t just an inconvenience; they impact basic necessities such as food and water. Power outages also can impact people who use certain types of home medical devices. Another modern problem with power outages: draining the battery on communications devices like cell phones which can be a lifeline to help during a disaster.

While a basic emergency supply kit will help see families through emergency situations, a sustained power outage makes charging mobile devices difficult.

Mobile devices are particularly important in an emergency for:

• Communicating with family and close friends
• Contacting local, state, and federal responders and resources
• Receiving alerts and updates through mobile applications. A great example is the American Red Cross, which offers mobile apps for finding shelters, monitoring severe weather conditions, and accessing basic first aid. Many states offer alerts via e-mail, text message or social media.

Good news! Your mobile device does not have to be sputtering on empty! There are options to keep your mobile devices charged, and keep you informed and connected during an emergency.

• Backup battery: Keeping a single charged backup battery for your mobile device gives you twice the battery power in the event of an emergency event.
• Battery cases: Need extra juice and prone to dropping your cellular phone? Battery cases offer a blend of protection and extra battery life.
• Portable backup chargers: Portable backup batteries are charged in advance to provide energy during an emergency. While their storage capacities vary, a fully charged device is often capable of fully charging a mobile device multiple times.
• Solar chargers: Harness the power of the sun using a solar charger, which converts direct and indirect sunlight into storable energy and is a great option for extended power outages.

On your next exploration through the internet consider researching and investing in one of these energy-extending devices. Your friends and family will thank you during the next power outage.

Have any other suggestions for extending the battery life of your mobile devices or staying connected to actionable information during an emergency? Share your thoughts in a comment to this blog post.