As North Carolina continues to feel the impacts of Hurricane Matthew, Governor Pat McCrory and First Lady Ann McCrory are encouraging citizens in the path of the storm to check-in with loved ones and 'Text First, Talk Second' to maintain contact.
“It’s important to communicate with friends and family during a major storm such as this,” said Governor McCrory. “People can lose contact with one another during a disaster and that can be stressful for loved ones. Knowing which options are best for you and your family is part of good storm preparation strategy.”
Earlier this month First Lady Ann McCrory joined with the Safe America Foundation to encourage North Carolinians to practice optimal communication during emergencies.
“Keeping everyone in your family informed is critical during an emergency, and sending a text message can often be a more effective way to communicate than a phone call,” said First Lady McCrory.
Emergency management officials have said that communicating via SMS text messaging makes sense because non-essential calls often shutdown wireless phone service and prevent 911 calls from getting through and emergency personnel from being able to communicate with each other. In fact, just a single one-minute phone call takes up the same bandwidth as 800 short SMS text messages.
People can also tell family members that they are safe and well by registering on line line with the American Red Cross here.
Those who do not have access to a cell phone or web site should identify an inland or out-of-state contact, since it may be easier to make long-distance calls during an emergency. That person can help keep track of all family members and ensure that all parties involved knows the contact name and numbers.
For more information about how to get ready for a hurricane and what to do during or after a storm, go to ReadyNC.org. You can also get real-time traffic and weather updates on the ReadyNC mobile app. Follow N.C. Emergency Management on Twitterand Facebook for the latest on Hurricane Matthew.
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