Did you notice how long it took family members to find each other after Hurricane Katrina?  Prior planning can avoid this painful situation.  Most of us are so used to the convenience of telephones and cell phones that we take them for granted as a means of staying in touch with our families.  But this type of communication is ultimately dependent on electricity.

When the power goes out, the communication stops.

Staying in touch will greatly improve the psychological health of everyone involved.  The unknown is the result of being cut off from what is going on elsewhere.  Speculation lends itself to wild imagination, fear and insecurity.  We have all experienced the discomfort of waiting for someone to call or show up.  We worry and imagine the worst.  This tendency is even greater when real danger threatens.

The radio first and foremost will carry emergency broadcasts put out by the police, government agencies or emergency personnel.  With normal communication systems cut off, the only viable source of knowledge about what is happening in other areas – locally, nationally or even internationally – could be a radio.  Emergency broadcasts could provide critical information needed to make good decisions.

It is not enough to have a radio that works on batteries.  In the end the batteries will run out or maybe they were left in the radio unused.  It is not a good idea to rely on old batteries for anything.  Wind-up and solar powered radios are now easy to acquire.