North Carolina’s first lady Ann McCrory is urging citizens to send text messages to loved ones during emergencies rather than calling.
By promoting the initiative, “Text First. Talk Second.,” McCrory is hoping that by keeping voice calls to a minimum during emegencies, users will not clog mobile networks, allowing for first responders to communicate.
“Voice calls can sometimes overwhelm provider capacity during a disaster, and it is important that these services are available for our valuable first responders,” McCrory said.
Text messages are often unaffected when there is a weather or man-caused catastrophe while non-essential calls often shutdown wireless phone service. A single one-minute phone call takes up the same bandwidth as 800 short text messages.
Preparedness experts universally agree that communicating via text messaging should be your first choice during an emergency and its immediate aftermath.
“In today’s environment, where emergencies seem to always be around the corner, it’s critical for people to be prepared to stay in touch when phones lines are overtaxed,” said Len Pagano, Safe America president and CEO, which is partnering with the state on the initiative.
“Texting is a good alternative to voice communications and is 800 times more likely to connect you,” Pagano said.