This is a tip that I learned last year during the hurricanes (Katrina and Rita). In most cases this was the only way to contact family members in Louisiana. I think with hurricane season in full force (no pun intended) this is a good thing to know. When a land line is unavailable and all you have is a cell phone even that is useless sometimes. During storms (or in "dead zones" while traveling) when you don't have a signal and a call won't go through, try a text message. More often than not it will work. It worked for me every time. It's not hard to do, except when you're actually driving and that's not advisable. For those of you who aren't used to text messaging, give it a try ahead of time so that you're sure you know how to do it. Good luck.
This is a great tip and she's right... it took about a week or so before we could even text over here in Mississippi after Katrina, but it works more times than not when you can't get a cell call to go through. I'll never forget almost a week into the aftermath with no communication, gasoline a precious commodity and no electricity, we took a risk and set out to Florida hoping we would make it and find some gas on the way so we could stock up on more food and supplies and hopefully a hotel room for a hot shower. As we crossed over a high rise bridge in southeast Mississippi, I realized there were a lot of cars pulled over there and found it odd until I realized that people were pulled over because they were picking up a cell phone signal! After a week we were finally able to reach family members to let them know we were okay. That was such a relief. Text messaging soon became our primary form of contact to let each other know that someone was alive and okay since it was so difficult to get around, or to let each other know where gas was available because it would go quick, or if a store was open and what they were selling, or where to get ice (it was so hot!) Text messaging was a lifesaver in those times!
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