Sep 8, 2025
Charge Up: September is National Preparedness Month
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) designates National Preparedness Month to raise awareness about disaster readiness for individuals, families and communities. Follow these tips for keeping cellphones charged during a power outage:
- When severe weather warnings are issued, immediately fully charge phones.
- Keep a car charger handy, but only charge devices with the engine running to avoid draining the vehicle’s battery.
- Keep a charged portable power bank ready for emergencies.
- In an emergency, a laptop’s USB port can be used to charge a phone.
- Turn off the phone’s Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, dim the screen and switch to airplane mode to conserve energy.
- Regularly check your emergency charging gear to ensure it’s ready when needed. Learn more tips at safeelectricity.org.
