In all seriousness, yes, and my father in law would want me to point out that there are ham radio clubs all over the country/world who would love to help build that preparedness

There's this tech called LoRa that could kind of create a citizens internet that could be huge in situations like this, and a bunch of other ones too I think, but it's not really finding traction

I keep meaning to get into ham radio - I’ve had friends that did, and they all seemed to enjoy it.

They are also all of them desperate for members who are not elderly white men fyi

Some friends talked me into getting my license back in high school. I still remember my callsign. Never did anything with it, but someone gave me a hand-me-down handheld unit once, and it might not be a bad idea to re-up.

Ive got a friend who’s neighborhood has setup a low-power, battery powered mesh relay network so they can text during winter storms when the power goes out. Theres quite a few people running repeaters and small sites out here too. IIRC theres a whole community emergency network too

Or, you know, citizen’s band (CB) is also really useful for about a 10 mile radius, doesn’t require licensing, and doesn’t require your HOA to unbunch their panties about the antenna (that you’re legally allowed to have and which HOAs cannot forbid, but which HOAs will try to forbid because HOA).

Some hams also volunteer with community groups/the fire department to help with disaster management and recovery within sections of their communities, so someone can help if FD can't.

yes! my dad is getting into ham radio in anticipation of retirement and, given the amount of flooding Iowa has seen in the past decade, I suspect it may be a useful hobby.

A funny thing about Japan is that the Yakuza of all people will pitch in during natural disasters to help evacuations and provide aid to victims in order to build good will with the communities they're part of.

My dad owns a repeater over here.