Suddenly; No Internet.. What do you do?

The United States currently has over 287 million internet users; that represents 88.5% of the population.

Mobile devices account for 77% of that usage -- and the number is growing exponentially every year. 

Worldwide, there are over 900 million Gmail accounts.

There are 310 million active Twitter accounts in the U.S. alone.

There are over 222 million Facebook accounts in the USA. 

Just survey your own family:

How many mobile devices do you own and use?

How much time do you spend on emails; on texting; on playing games on the internet?

How much of your daily news do you get online?

And, most importantly, what would you and your family do if the internet were suddenly unavailable to you, and you and your family could no longer access any social media? 

Hikingware.com thinks it's important for you to be prepared for any emergency or disaster. That's why they offer the best emergency food storage and survival kit brands on the market. But they also know that man does not live by bread alone; you've got to be able to communicate with others during an emergency. And social scientists currently are studying the effects on children and teenagers of a sudden and total cessation of access to social media. Their initial results show that those under the age of 20 often become frightened, depressed, and even paranoid when they are suddenly cut off from their social media accounts for longer than 48 hours. 

Astro-physicists now say that solar flares of great magnitude could knock out our cell phones and wifi in an instant, and it could take months to repair the damage. Hackers are becoming more and more adept at breaking into even the most secure data banks, and in sowing viruses that could virtually cripple the internet for years to come, making it unsafe to use.  

Here are some suggestions to help you maintain your family's sanity and peace of mind in an offline world: 

Board Games.

Children need to maintain a sense of play and fun, even under emergency conditions. Otherwise their health can degenerate alarmingly, including bouts of diarrhea, bedwetting, loss of appetite, rashes, and disturbing mental quirks. Make sure you and your children learn to play and enjoy games such as Monopoly, Scrabble, or Yahtze; insist on playing them at least once a week. That way, if the internet becomes unavailable your family can still find a break from worry and maintain a sense of normalcy. 

Ham Radio.

A starter kit costs as little as $60.00 -- if your cell phone won't work and you don't have a landline phone (only 33% of Americans still have a landline phone -- and that number is dropping rapidly) it may be the only way to communicate long distances.

Books.

The National Librarians Association says that reading time for both adults and children has dropped to a mere average of 2 hours per week; in 1965 it was at an average of 20 hours a week. With no TV or movies to stream or social media to entertain and inform, a supply of good books can be a real godsend if you are stuck in your home because of emergency or curfew. Insist that before your children can go online they must read a certain amount of time or a certain amount of books. And make sure you set the example yourself by letting your family see you reading magazines and books.

Don't depend on debit cards and online banking in an emergency.

Your online banking and debit/credit cards could be compromised at any time. Prepare for that eventuality by keeping a few hundred dollars cash in a baggie in your freezer; paper currency is not affected by cold. Do not hoard thousands at home -- that is an invitation to theft and home invasion. But a few hundred dollars in cash kept at home is a prudent strategy for any emergency. Make sure you have it noted and insured on your homeowner's/renter's insurance policy. 

Your Children in a Disaster – Do They Know What to Do?

Disasters affect children differently than they do adults. Hikingware wants you not only to be prepared for a disaster by having an adequate supply of food and water, but also, if you have children, to be aware of their special needs:

Children’s bodies are different from adults’ bodies.

• They are more likely to get sick or severely injured.
• They breathe in more air per pound of body weight than adults do.
• They have thinner skin, and more of it per pound of body weight (higher surface-to-mass ratio).
• Fluid loss (e.g. dehydration, blood loss) can have a bigger effect on children because they have less fluid in their bodies.
• They are more likely to lose too much body heat.
• They spend more time outside and on the ground. They also put their hands in their mouths more often than adults do.

Children need help from adults in an emergency.

• They don’t fully understand how to keep themselves safe.
• Older children and adolescents may take their cues from others.
• Young children may freeze, cry, or scream.
• They may not be able to explain what hurts or bothers them.
• They are more likely to get the care they need when they have parents or other caregivers around.
• Laws require an adult to make medical decisions for a child.
• There is limited information on the ways some illnesses and medicines affect children. Sometimes adults will have to make decisions with the information they have.

Mental stress from a disaster can be harder on children.

• They feel less of a sense of control.
• They understand less about the situation.
• They have fewer experiences bouncing back from hard situations.

Teach your child one parent's cell-phone number or a good contact number. Starting at around age 5, kids are developmentally ready to memorize a 7- or 10-digit number. Practice with your child and turn the phone number into a song, like a modified version of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star."

Designate an out-of-state contact. This will be a resource and point person for your family to call.

Choose a location other than your home where your family can meet. You'll need to go there in case of a fire or an earthquake, for example. Your meeting place might be a local park, school, or shelter. Walk to the site with your child so he knows exactly how to get there.

Designate a trusted friend or family member who can pick up your kid at child care or school if you are unable to get there in a disaster situation. Be sure that you give official permission to release your child to that person.

Make a card with your plan for each adult's wallet. Include contact names, your emergency location, and the out-of-state contact number. Put a copy in your school-age child's backpack, and discuss the plan with your kids.

Inform caregivers and nearby relatives of your plan. Be sure to give a copy of your plan to your child's teacher too.

Write a letter for your child to have in case of an emergency and leave it with child care or school.

If you're not good at texting, improve your skills. When cell- phone signal strength goes down, texting often still works because it uses less bandwidth and network capacity.

Look into how at-risk your own area may be. Contact your local fire department and school to inquire about specific threats to your neighborhood such as unstable trees, streets prone to flooding, or transportation challenges.

After gathering that info, it's essential to figure out how your neighbors can work together in the event of an emergency. For example, if you're a nurse or a teacher, you may have a comprehensive first-aid kit available, and if a carpenter lives on your street, he might have tools or equipment that would be useful in an emergency. Pool your expertise and resources! It will ultimately save lives.

Probably the most important thing to remember when dealing with children in an emergency is that children act as a mirror to adult feelings, attitudes and emotions around them. So try to stay calm, reasonable, and, if at all possible, even upbeat about the situation. Don’t mislead children into thinking everything is perfectly fine, but be careful how much of the truth you dole out to them – they don’t need to know everything, and they will need reassurance more than anything else.