And, for most of us, our phone is our lifeline. It's also our main source of communication to call for help and check on family members and neighbors.
ABC11 compiled a list of a few hacks you should keep handy in the event your area is in the path of severe weather.
Charge it before the storm hits
First things first, when a storm is in the forecast, it's a good idea to go ahead and fully charge your phone, especially if the storm may strike overnight.
Use your laptop
A fully charged laptop can help keep your phone up and running in an emergency situation. Get it fully charged beforehand and plug your phone in via USB.
Text, don't call
If you can, text instead of calling. Making a phone call can quickly drain your phone's battery life, much more so than texting.
Charge it in your car
Most modern cars come with a USB port or a power inverter. Most grocery stores, discount stores, and gas stations sell cheap USB ports that plug into your cigarette lighter even if you have an older car or don't have a USB port. If you do charge your phone in your car, don't do it in the garage. Running your engine in an enclosed space for long amounts of time can be extremely dangerous and even deadly.
Close those apps
Some apps can use a lot of juice and closing those apps can conserve your batter juice. Other tricks to help include turning down the screen brightness, and turning off your WiFi and Bluetooth connections.
Invest in external batteries and boosters
Most external batteries can charge your phone multiple times over, or even multiple devices at once. But they're useless if they aren't charged ahead of time. Again, if you own an external battery, make sure it's charged before the storm hits.
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