The bomb cyclone that stormed into the Northwest in November was one for the books. Pouring rain and raging winds, with gusts up to 70 miles per hour, took out trees and powerlines, leaving thousands of people, including here in Snohomish County, temporarily without power and internet service.

It was one of the first major storms of the season, but it may not be the last. And while there’s no way to avoid these powerful weather events, there are plenty of ways to prepare for them to help ensure you stay as safe and comfortable as possible.

One area not to neglect? The potential for an internet service outage.

“Severe weather events that take out power also impact internet service,” said Todd Gorder, Vice President of Technical Operations for Comcast in the Pacific Northwest. “While our crews are out there working to restore service as quickly as possible, there are many factors involved that contribute to how fast that can be done. One way to minimize the impacts of a service outage is to prepare in advance so that you can stay safe, connected and still have access to important information.”

Here are five tips for preparing for storm season outages.

1. Reach out – In advance of a storm, connect with family and friends to let them know what’s coming and what your plans are. Share the potential of a communications disruption and share options for keeping in touch. You can also stay connected to utilities and internet service providers to get notifications regarding outage areas and when service will be restored. Xfinity customers can sign up online to receive text alerts about service outages – just be sure to do so before the storm hits.
2. Power up – If a storm is on the way, make sure your phone is fully charged and any backup power sources you have are ready to go. Charge portable power banks so that phones, tablets, laptops and other devices will have the juice to get through the storm. If you have a generator, check that you have plenty of fuel to run it safely outdoors. And consider investing in a backup battery for your modem and router. Another option is Comcast’s Storm-Ready WiFi, which offers up to four hours of additional power and a backup cellular network, providing you ample time to connect with family, save important information and even download entertainment during an outage. (See sidebar story below.)
3. Download it – If an outage occurs, it’s too late to access important files, emergency contacts, maps or weather updates. Before the first rain falls, download any important files you may need for work or school. Make sure your emergency contacts are downloaded or written down. Check in advance to see if any of your important apps have offline modes, which provide access to documents, maps and other files even if the internet’s down. And don’t forget to download movies, shows, games and other entertainment to help keep you company while the power’s out.
4. Use a hotspot – Mobile phones are essential to modern-day life, but during a storm texting may be a more efficient method of communicating, as voice calls can overload networks. Cellular phones can also be used to set up mobile hotspots, which use cellular data to connect your laptops, tablets and even some televisions to the internet. Xfinity Mobile customers are able to do this, but not all providers offer this service. Check in advance of a storm to see if yours does.
5. Find public WiFi – Though your internet service may be down temporarily, public hotspots are widely available these days at coffee shops, libraries and elsewhere, as long as it’s safe to venture out. You can also tap into hotspots provided by your internet service provider. Comcast, for example, has nearly 100,000 public WiFi hotspots in Washington State that are free for Xfinity customers. Here’s where you can find them: www.xfinity.com/mobile/network/map.

We are lucky to live in a time with broad access to the internet and its resources. However, storms happen, power lines snap and the lack of power impacts internet connectivity. Even if you follow all of these tips, there may be times when you won’t have power or internet. When that happens, it’s a good idea to have a battery-powered radio handy so you can still get news and updates related to the storm.

Peace of mind during bad weather

What if an incoming storm knocked out your power and your internet service? Would you have taken steps in advance to backup files, communicate with family or download a few movies?

Xfinity’s Storm-Ready WiFi device provides up to four hours of continuous internet service during a power outage with a backup battery and cellular network. Should an outage occur, your internet automatically switches to a 4G LTE backup network and you stay connected. Those four hours provide valuable time to back up files, download movies and shows for entertainment and connect with family and friends.

It’s a little peace of mind available to anyone who has Xfinity Internet and a compatible Xfinity Gateway modem and router combination. Find out more at Xfinity.com.