When superstorm Sandy struck, it left people dead in flooded and
wave-washed communities - and it caused power outages that cut off
crucial communications for hundreds of thousands more. Lost access
to cellphones, the Internet and cable television added to the
misery.
Wireless phone providers told the Federal Communications
Commission that the day after Sandy's Oct. 29 landing, more than 25
percent of cellphone service went out in the 158 counties in 10
states most affected by the storm.
A just-released study from the University of Southern
California's Information Sciences Institute found that U.S.
Internet outages spiked to almost twice the normal level just after
the storm made landfall and didn't return to normal for about four
days.
Another analysis by the consulting firm Renesys concluded that
about 10 percent of Internet service failed in Manhattan in the
first days of the storm, meaning 90 percent still worked.
Clearly, making sure power supplies are more stable would help
keep cellphones and Internet links working. But emergency planners
need to recognize how vulnerable many Americans are; even those
with landlines may lose phone service if it's bundled to Internet
and cable.
High-tech warnings may be fine in advance, but recovery guidance
may have to be delivered by more traditional means.
You can't surf the Internet with a radio, but even a one-way tie
to the rest of the world is better than sitting in the dark with no
news at all.
