How to Communicate in an Emergency or Winter Outage: FCC Phone Tips
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How we wrote this: A plain-English summary of the FCC guide Tips for Communicating in an Emergency, checked October 29, 2026. In a life-threatening emergency, call 911.
Winter storms, ice and holiday travel can all strain phone networks. The FCC explains that in an emergency, many more people try to call at once, and the extra volume can congest the network.
What helps your call get through
- Limit non-emergency calls to free up network capacity and save battery.
- Keep calls brief: share only vital information.
- Text instead of calling. The FCC says texts often go through when calls don't.
- Try another channel if one fails: text, email or a landline.
- Wait 10 seconds before redialing, so the network has time to clear.
- If you're in a car, call while stopped.
Prepare before the storm
- Keep charged batteries and a car charger on hand (see backup power options).
- Save a list of emergency numbers in your phone.
- Make a family communications plan with an out-of-area contact everyone knows to call.
- If you evacuate and have call forwarding, forward your home number to your cell.
- Keep at least one corded phone that doesn't need electricity. The FCC notes cordless phones usually won't work in a power outage.
People with disabilities
The FCC suggests registering with your local police department so they know what help you may need, planning with any personal care attendant how you'll reach each other, keeping a backup phone if you use a medical alert system that needs a phone line, and learning about NOAA Weather Radio options for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Also see Wireless Emergency Alerts and winter weather alerts.