Be Prepared

Disaster Preparedness for College Students

Disasters come in all sizes. We tend to think in extremes, but even small disasters can have serious consequences. It's 11:00 pm on a Sunday night, and you have a paper due by 11:59 pm. You're just putting the last touches on your references page when disaster strikes; you accidentally spill your Vanilla Latte all over your laptop! It's still running, but the keyboard and trackpad no longer respond to your increasingly frustrated bashing. What do you do? Do you have a backup plan? This page is meant to provide a starting point. Every student will have different concerns and needs. What works for one may not work for another. These are just some ideas that I've filed away over the years.

When Technology Fails

In the above scenario, your laptop is still running; only the keyboard and trackpad have failed. Thankfully, all laptops have at least a couple of USB ports, and an external keyboard and mouse could save the day. I once had a student whose laptop's built-in camera and microphone had failed. His solution was to use an external webcam and a pair of wired headphones with an inline microphone. Laptops are expensive, and his cheap fix kept him from having to spend a lot of money to replace an otherwise functional computer.

I always keep a spare keyboard and mouse on hand, but what if your computer has completely failed? You'll need a backup plan for that as well. Personally, I always keep a spare laptop on hand. You don't have to go out and buy a second laptop. If you've got an older laptop lying around that you don't use any more, dust it off. Microsoft Windows has a reset option under system settings. Just search for "Reset this PC." Resetting the computer can go a long way toward making it perform better, even if it's an older model. Just make sure you back up any files you don't want to lose. Next, if the computer can still be updated, check for and install updates. As for additional apps, install just enough to do your work. Install your preferred web browser and any course specific software you need. Don't bother with extra software like games and such. This is your backup laptop. It's one job now is to provide you with the means to complete your assignments and get them turned in if your main computer fails.

If you don't have a backup computer, consider your options. Do you have a family member whose computer you can use? How about a friend? Your school likely has computers available for student use. Here at Middle Georgia State University, we have student use labs available in our campus libraries and a few other buildings around campus. Our campus libraries also have laptops that students can check out as needed. Be aware that school computers may not have course specific software installed, and you won't have admin privileges. Similarly, some public libraries provide computers and WiFi access to patrons, but I would generally keep this as a last resort.

Speaking of WiFi, if your Internet goes down, what's your plan? Again, do you have a family member or a friend whose Internet you can use? Your school likely has a student WiFi network that you can use, and any student use computers will probably be connected directly to your school's wired network. Public WiFi may be an option, but be aware of the security risks. Open, unsecured networks can be an invitation for trouble. If your cellular service comes with the option to use your phone as a mobile hotspot, that may be your better bet. It's safe and secure, but you may have limited data and speed. If you must use your phone as a hotspot, try to keep your Internet usage down to a minimum. Do your work, turn it in, get in, get out.

Regardless of your backup plan, a backup computer or backup Internet access is only really useful if you have access to whatever you were working on when your main computer or Internet access failed, and that's where file backups come in.

ERROR 404 FILE NOT FOUND

Have you ever lost files before? I have. Believe it or not, even the ubiquitous flash drive can fail. Ask me how I know. Every piece of technology has its breaking point, so you should never put all your eggs in one basket. First of all, if your school provides access to Microsoft Office 365 and OneDrive, use it. I have never lost a file on OneDrive, and its integration with Office 365 is seamless. When you create a new document in Office 365 and save it to OneDrive, three things happen:

1. From that point forward, the document auto-saves. You don't even have to think about it.
2. Your file is automatically backed up across multiple servers. Microsoft handles backup and maintenance, so you don't have to.
3. Your document is accessible from any computer that you log into Office 365 on. Log into Office 365, and your files are just there... like magic.

If your school doesn't provide access to Microsoft Office 365 and OneDrive, you might consider subscribing, but there are free alternatives. Google Docs is free and provides the same peace of mind. If you have a Chromebook or already have a Google account, this is a no-brainer. All of that said, I still prefer and highly recommend offline backups of your most important files. You can't access your files in the cloud if the Internet goes down.

For offline backups, I prefer a layered approach, but you can choose what layers you'd like to implement. I do save files directly to my main computer. It's quick and easy, and having them right there on my main computer makes getting at them a breeze even when the Internet is down. Of course, if your main computer fails, you won't be able to access those files. This is where flash drives can be a real lifesaver. I always carry one or two flash drives with me at all times. Whatever I'm currently working on is either saved in OneDrive or on one of my flash drives. A flash drive can be plugged into any computer with a USB port and works just fine even without an Internet connection. Just be aware that flash drives are small and easy to misplace. Also be aware that, if you have your file saved in more than one location, you'll need to manually ensure that every copy is up-to-date.

I also highly recommend getting an external hard drive or solid state drive (SSD) that's at least the same size as the drive in your main computer. Plug it in, and set it up with whatever backup utility your computer came with. In Microsoft Windows, search for "File History." If you use a Mac, look for "Time Machine." Not only do these backup utilities back up your files, but they also maintain previous versions of those files. If you delete or change a file in a way that you didn't intend to, you can always restore a previous version from your backup. That same backup can also be used to restore all of your files to a new computer if you ever replace your current system.

Ka-Chow! Lightning Strikes!

Hurricane Michael bore down on central Georgia in October 2018. It was the first storm in decades to make it to central Georgia at hurricane strength, and it's impact was significant. Our neighborhood was without power for about a week. Parts of Macon were without power for nearly a month. Regardless of where you may stand on climate change, there's no denying the fact that severe weather is getting more severe with each passing year. At this point, I would not be surprised to see a full, category one hurricane reach central Georgia, and I wouldn't rule out the possibility of a category two or near category two hurricane making it that far inland either. Georgia is also prone to severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, and even ice storms. Regardless of where you live, natural disasters are more a possibility now than ever before, so you should take a few moments to assess your current preparedness and possibly make some adjustments to better prepare yourself for such situations.

Step one to preparedness is always make a plan. A closet or pantry full of supplies is no substitute for a solid plan that has been thought through and practiced beforehand. What good is a pantry full of canned goods if you have no way to prepare a meal? What good is a flashlight or battery operated lantern if the only batteries you have on hand are past their shelf life? Make a plan. Think it through, and practice it. I don't consider myself to be a prepper, and I don't expect college students to practice prepping. Prepping often focuses on what you have rather than what you know. Supplies are useful and I'm about to make a few basic recommendations, but supplies are useless without knowledge and practice. Also, having been there myself, I know that college students often live within tight budgets. You shouldn't have to spend a lot of money to be prepared for disasters.

What's one thing you can do right now to prepare for any disaster scenario that won't cost you anything? Charge your devices! I can't tell you how many times I've heard a student remark that their phone or laptop was getting low on battery and they weren't sure if it would make it to the end of their session or class. Likewise, I can't tell you how many times I've had a student ask if I had a charger they could borrow only to learn that I carry an iPhone and my charger won't work with their Android device. I've since added a small, emergency kit containing charging cables and adapters for most phones and tablets to my backpack for just such occasions. Keep you devices charged up. Carry your chargers with you at all times. If you have a little money to spare, purchase a couple of extra chargers and cables. If you can, keep one charger at home or in your dorm, another in your backpack, and a third in your car. If your car already has a USB charging port, all you really need there is an additional cable to charge your phone while driving. Modern lithium ion batteries like to be kept between 80%-100% charged. In fact, most modern devices will optimize charging overnight, charging up to 80% quickly before switching to a trickle-charge mode for the remainder of the charge cycle. Modern iPhones even avoid finishing an overnight charge cycle until shortly before being unplugged the following morning. They learn your daily routine and adjust charging patterns to match. In other words, if you've ever been told not to charge your devices overnight, forget what you've been told. That's old advice based on old technologies. Modern technologies changed that a long time ago.

The above advice goes for all of your devices -- your phone, tablet, laptop, etc. -- but your phone is by far the most important. Your phone is your last line of communication. When all else fails, you still need to be able to call or email your professors to let them know you might have to turn in your assignments a little late. You still need to be able to access up-to-date weather reports and reach out to family and friends to let them know you're okay. In an emergency, you need to able to reach out for help. If your phone's battery hits 0%, that's it. Sure you might be able to borrow someone else's device, but that's not a guarantee. If you've got an extra charger in your backpack, you can always charge up your phone whenever you're near an outlet. If you've got an extra charger or a USB charge port in your car, you can always charge up your phone while you're driving. What about those times when the power is out? What if you don't have a car? How can you keep your phone charged up in those situations?

I don't generally like telling students to go buy something because I know that money can be tight, but in addition to purchasing a couple of extra chargers and cables to keep in your backpack and car, I highly recommend purchasing a USB power bank. Even a cheap USB power bank purchased at a gas station will be able to charge up your phone at least a couple of times in an emergency. I keep a USB power bank in my laptop bag, one in my dresser, and another, high capacity USB power bank in a spare backpack. Smaller power banks are fine for most phones, but if you need to charge up a tablet, you might want something bigger that can deliver more power. Just remember that a USB power bank has to be charged and maintained just like your other devices. Don't just chuck it in your backpack and forget about it. Pull it out every so often. Use it once in a while, and charge it back up.

Here are a few additional tips on how to make your phone's battery last as long as possible during an extended power outage:

1. If the power is out, the WiFi is out. Your phone will use more power searching for a WiFi network to connect to when none is available. Turn your phone's WiFi off to save some power. Whenever you're around a working WiFi network, turn you phone's WiFi back on to avoid using cellular data.
2. Bluetooth is a luxury. Bluetooth uses considerably more power than most people realize. Turn your phone's Bluetooth off to save power.
3. In an disaster scenario, your phone may be your only communications device. Music, videos, games, and other entertainment are all luxuries. Use your phone sparingly, and only use it for necessary functions (e.g. communications, weather data, emergency light, etc.).
4. If the cellular network is down, don't waste power looking for a signal. In an extreme disaster scenario, cellular coverage may become spotty. When your phone can't find a cell tower to connect to, it boosts its own radio power in an attempt to pull in weak signals. If you've ever traveled with your phone and noticed its battery draining faster while on the road, now you know why. In this situation, it may be best to put your phone into airplane mode. Airplane mode turns off all internal radios. Why use power running radios when there's nothing to connect to?
5. Turn down screen brightness. Next to its internal radio transceivers, your phone's display is its second biggest power drain. Turn down screen brightness as much as you can while still being able to read the display.
6. Turn off eye candy. Many phones use cool animations and transitions to make the user interface more interesting. These features use more power. How? Those animations and transitions require more processing power, and increased processor load uses more power. On the iPhone, go to "Settings" and look for "Motion" under "Accessibility." Turn on "Reduce Motion" and "Prefer Cross-Fade Transitions." You may also want to turn off "Auto-Play" for animated images, video previews, and message effects. These are just some of the settings you can tweak on the iPhone. You may want to research others. If you use an Android device, you will want to research similar power saving options for you device.
7. Turn down flashlight brightness. If you're using your phone's flashlight mode for emergency light, use the lowest setting that will get the job done. On the iPhone, simply press and hold the flashlight button on screen to access the flashlight brightness control. I've found that the lowest setting is plenty bright enough for most tasks. Android devices likely have a similar feature.

Let There be Light

On that note, while you can use your phone as a flashlight, nothing beats a dedicated light source. Having a dedicated flashlight means you don't have to waste your phone's power just for light. I collect old flashlights, but there are plenty of modern, more energy efficient solutions out there. Again, you don't have to spend a lot of money here, and you can even meet this need with a device that actually serves another purpose. First of all, I always recommend having a flashlight of some sort. A flashlight provides excellent, directional spot lighting. Even a cheap, LED flashlight will throw a lot of light. I also like battery operated lanterns. I have a couple that will light an entire room almost as well as the overhead light does. We also have a few, small, cheap lanterns that we use as nightlights during power outages. I keep a rechargeable flashlight in my desk at work, but there's one device that I have that's really designed for a completely different purpose that I think fits both the average college student budget and lifestyle; I keep a small, clip-on ring light in my laptop bag. Ring lights are great for improving the picture quality from your laptop's camera during online meetings or when recording video presentations. Ring lights also have adjustable brightness levels, so if you're using one for emergency lighting, you can turn the brightness down to save power. Even at its lowest setting, my little ring light still throws a decent amount of light. I could easily read, study, prepare a meal, or perform pretty much any other task by it. It's rechargeable, and the built-in clip makes it easy to attach to many surfaces to get light wherever I might need it. If the battery gets too low and the power is still out, I can even recharge my ring light with one of my USB power banks. The best part is, it's still useful on a daily basis. I have online meetings all the time, and I always use a ring light.

Additional Tips

1. Batteries not included: Most of our devices are rechargeable, but some devices like calculators and flashlights use regular, disposable batteries. Keep spare batteries on hand for these devices. If your calculator gives out in the middle of a Math test, you'll be glad you have spare batteries for it.
2. When the well runs dry: I carry an insulated water bottle to work every day. I also keep bottled water in my office for events. At home, I usually drink water from the tap, but I also keep bottled water on hand for emergencies. I lived through the Flood of '94, and more recently, burst water mains in our area have left local residents under boil advisories or completely without water. You don't need to keep gallons of water on hand, but a small case of water is well worth the cost. Also, bottled water doesn't go bad. Best by dates only pertain to flavor and are not the same as expiration dates.
3. Make like a bandit and carry a bandanna: Bandannas have many uses. I carry one in my back pocket every day. I've used my bandanna to keep my hair out of my face on a windy day. I've used it as a makeshift basket when harvesting tomatoes in my garden. A bandanna soaked with cool water and draped across the back of your neck can keep you cool on a hot day. I've even used a bandanna as a scarf to help me stay warm on a cold day. A large enough bandanna can serve as a tourniquet or even as a sling in a medical emergency.