Reply #133: The main purpose is [View All]

[Nicole]

just exactly what you posted, to see who is impacted & needs help. It does cut down on the confusion. Just knowing everyone is safe & accounted for gives you peace of mind in a bad situation. The caller at the top of the list is called back often so each family can be checked off the "need to call" list.

If someone can't be reached by phone, then the person closest to them will try to physically make contact. So having alternate forms of communication avoids going to search for someone who has already left home. If a tornado has knocked down power lines, blocking the regular route of evacuation, a person can save time by avoiding that route and meeting elsewhere.

When the OKC bombing happened I couldn't call my family in OKC, all the circuits were busy. That was back before cell phones were as popular as they are now. Who knows, those circuits would probably have been busy too. As I posted above, most of us in rural areas have had CBs for years. After the OKC bombing my family members who live in the city decided to get them too.