Smart and Sun set their plans to prepare for the expected landfall of Typhoon Hagupit. Preparations have been made to maintain communication services, should the worst happen, and ensure that they are ready to respond quickly should facilities be adversely affected.
Equipment and personnel have already been deployed in Visayas, Southern Luzon & Northern Mindanao regions that are expected to be affected by Hagupit. Equipment like generator sets and batteries are set to support capacities of telecommunications equipment in affected regions, as well as equipment for free call and free charging services. This will enable Smart and Sun to respond quickly to failures and community needs as they occur.
In the meantime, Smart and Sun are encouraging all mobile phone users to prepare in case of power and communications interruptions. Here are some tips laid out by the telco to help you do so:
- Fully charge cell phone batteries and ensure that you have airtime for at least 3 days.
- In the event of power outages, conserve battery power. Make judicious use of voice calls. Text messaging uses less power.
- Store emergency numbers in your cell phone — family members you can call for help, television and radio stations where you can get storm information, and responding relief agencies like the National Disaster Coordinating Council, local government units, local police, local chapter of the Philippine National Red Cross, etc. Keep a hard copy as well in case you run out of battery and need to use the numbers.
- Keep a battery-operated radio handy as well as spare batteries to make sure you stay informed about important news like evacuation warnings, storm updates, rescue developments, etc. in case electric and communication facilities shut down.
- Keep your cell phone dry. Wrap it in plastic or use cling-wrap for easy use.
Stay safe everyone.