Communications in emergencies and natural disasters
Telecommunications services, such as phone and internet, help us to communicate and receive information during emergencies or natural disasters and are crucial in coordinating response and recovery efforts.
While telecommunications companies actively plan for emergency situations, during a natural disaster, telecommunications services cannot be guaranteed. Power outages are highly likely in a natural disaster and can lead to telecommunications services becoming unavailable.
All Australians can do more to prepare for the loss of telecommunications services in a natural disaster so they do not become isolated and without important information that helps keep them up to date.
The Commonwealth Strengthening Telecommunications Against Natural Disasters (STAND) project has developed factsheets outlining the limitations of telecommunications in natural disasters and the ways people can prepare.