I was just watching the BBC World News coverage of yesterday's 7.4 earthquake and its impact upon Mexico City.

True to form, everybody got on their cellphones and overloaded the cellphone system, causing it to fail.

This is so typical of unusual situations, no matter how minor the event.

For Example:
A few years ago, there was a brief daytime power failure that spread up the coast from Westchester County to Orange (and beyond ?). At the time, I was in COSTCO doing some shopping when the lights went off.

Being aware of the classic response/result, I decided to run an experiment.
Guess what happened when I tried to make a call?
That's right! NOTHING!
The cellphone system had been overloaded and there was no way to make a call.

It does not take much to see how useless cellphones will be during a REAL EMERGENCY.


When ALL Else Fails... Amateur Radio.