The best time to download an app is when nothing is wrong. Get these now, set them up once, and they'll be there when the signal isn't.
Checked as of [DATE]. Companies, products, and apps change fast. Confirm before you rely on anything here.
Official alerts and shelter info. You can set alerts for up to five ZIP codes without sharing your location. You can even get it by texting 43362.
Free, work fully offline, and don't collect your data. Download your state's maps before storm season.
Fine as a second option. Download your area ahead of time.
Download the languages you might need before you travel.
Any important webpage can become a file on your phone. Same trick the app uses for your Family Plan Card.
Offline copies of Wikipedia and medical references. Big downloads — do it on Wi-Fi. [SIZES PENDING VERIFICATION]
Built into your phone. Check your settings now and make sure it's on.
Community resources: shelters, food, utility help. 511: Road conditions.
Not an app: a battery or hand-crank radio that receives official broadcasts when cell towers are down. [RADIO MODELS PENDING VERIFICATION]
The U.S. State Department's free traveler enrollment. Save your embassy's contact info offline before you go.
Walkie-talkies. No license needed.
$35, no test, lasts 10 years, covers your immediate family. More power and range than FRS.
Open-source, off-grid text messaging over long-range radio. The item preppers know about and nobody else does. Worth a look.