[scan59]

She tried to call 911, but couldn't because the power was off.

Either she had:

1. cordless phones only
2. coverted her service to VOIP (Internet phones)

Either way, a good reason to stick to old-fashioned, land line plug-in phones. (At least one.) My Internet goes down sometimes for no apparent reason. Do I want to trust my phone to my Internet connection? Don't think so.

[donna]

We have a community cell phone at my house but I used it so rarely that I have to relearn it each time, LOL.

I’m not much of a phone talker.

[Pontiac]

UPS (uninterruptable power supply/Battery backup) ought to do the trick. At least long enough to make a 911 call (if they don’t put you on hold)