Why radio when everything else is down

Cell phones and the internet are wonderful — right up until they aren't. In a real emergency they tend to fail together, and for the same reasons.

What fails, and why

• Cell networks overload when everyone calls at once, and the towers run out of backup power after a few hours to a day.
• Internet depends on that same grid and on equipment far outside your home.
• The power grid is often the first thing to go in a big storm — and everything leans on it.

Why radio keeps working

A GMRS handheld runs on a battery you control. No towers, no accounts, no monthly bill. If you can reach our repeater — or even just another radio directly — you can pass a message. A group that already knows how to reach each other can check on family, share road and shelter conditions, and get help moving.

The catch

Radio only helps if you already know how to use it. That's what the weekly net is really for: practice, on a calm day, so the skill is there when you need it. The best time to learn is now — come check in Saturday.