[Hidden-tech] How to get news in a power outage

[Marcia Yudkin]

>>I don't know how mobile friendly it is, but the power companies seem to
have mostly up-to-date info on the power situation.  Or that is what I
have heard (I had no internet access without power and/or phone).<<

Nope, not National Grid.  I used part of my precious battery time during the outage to check their web site, and it was completely unhelpful.

The power companies were updating the local fire and police companies regularly, but the only way I found that out was to get in my car (once it was dug out) and go there and ask.

What we needed was town-by-town information, not to mention potentially life-saving information like reminding people about carbon monoxide dangers, whether or not any stores or gas stations were open, etc.  Often they have this kind of info on local TV news broadcasts during an emergency, but when power is out most people don't have access to TV.

I received a private email today saying that radio station WMAS 94.7 in Chicopee offered this kind of information, and I've written that down in my (non-digital) address book under "R" for radio for our next natural disaster.

Marcia Yudkin