A hurricane in 2005 cut off power for 12 days and gave me some good cheap lessons. My land line was working but my neighbor’s Comcast phone was out for 12 days. We are fairly well stocked on food. My favorite prep acquisition is a two burner stove I bought at a flea market. Made of sheet metal in Colombia South America. It sat unused for years. It is easily hooked up to the standard 20lb BBQ propane tank. I have 4 of these tanks. Got another one last month that was out on the curb. If you see a discarded rusted BBQ cut off the hose fitting with a knife. This will connect to a two burner gas stove. These two burners are used all over the third world. Harbor Freight has some
The one I have looks like this >>>> http://www.ebay.com/itm/DUAL-TWO-2-BURNER-PROPANE-CAMP-STOVE-GAS-COOKER-CAMPING-LP-TAILGATE-TAILGATING-/230900729361?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35c2c18611
Plus I have a Coleman camping stove that can be modded to fit onto a 20lb propane tank.
That's because the land-line guys prep with gensets and batteries (which are a good deal if you buy their surplus) and you are tied to them with a land-line.
They supply the 'lektrikity for that.
The cell phones? Not so good. Cell sites do have gensets and batteries (or used to, when I was in the business), but the handset isn't powered by them, so on that part, you are on your own.
Damn prepping phone companies. ;)
/johnny