TechBytes: How to keep your phone service on during a storm

During Hurricane Ian, cellphone service was nearly non-existent for much of Southwest Florida’s coastal communities. CEO of CRS Technology Consultants John Joyce said there are tips people in the community should know on how to send and receive text messages. Joyce said cell phone service failed during Hurricane Ian due to the wind and flooding knocking down phone towers. "Every storm provides a learning experience," said Joyce. "Use text as your primary method of communication ... phone calls and FaceTime use more bandwidth. Here are some tips to keep families from worrying: Send texts before the storm telling them where you are and to not assume the worst if they don’t hear back – it's likely because cell service is down. Change your voicemail to state your location and whether you are evacuating – this message still plays to callers even if their call doesn’t reach you. Joyce also explains there are some tricks families could use during the next storm. "Use SMS if possible, Short Message Service ... characters only, with limited character count ... move outside the home after the storm passes and signal strength may be strongest with no interference like walls or trees." For more information on how to use your phone during hurricane season, you can visit CRSTC.com, an online source created by CRS Technology Consultants. DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.