Phones with cordless handsets won’t work in a disaster because they need more electricity than they can get from the phone jack. Old fashioned phones with a cord connecting the handset to the base will work even in a power outage. Make sure you have at least one phone with a cord in your home in case of a power outage.
Keep a car charger for your cell phone in your vehicle. If the power is out in your home, you can still charge your cell phone in your car.
If you don’t have a landline and you use a cell phone as your home phone, remember that cell phone towers may be tied up with calls in an emergency.