Navigation & radios

• Text instead of calling during disasters. Texts often get through when calls don't.
• Choose one out-of-state contact everyone checks in with. Long-distance lines are often clearer than local ones.
• Write contact info on paper cards for every wallet and every kid's backpack.
• Pick two meeting spots: one near home, one outside your neighborhood.
• Agree on check-in times if you're using radios.

Range on the box is under perfect conditions. Hills, buildings and trees cut it a lot, so test yours around your neighborhood.

• Keep paper road maps of your area and your evacuation routes in the car and in your go-bag.
• Mark your meeting spots, hospitals and a few routes out.
• Learn to orient a map with a compass: set the map flat, place the compass on it, and turn the map until north on the map lines up with the needle.
• Practice on a hike before you need it.