NEWS Federal Communications Commission 445 12th Street, S.W. Washington, D. C. 20554 This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action. Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action. See MCI v. FCC. 515 F 2d 385 (D.C. Circ 1974). News Media Information 202 / 418-0500 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov TTY: 1-888-835-5322 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NEWS MEDIA CONTACT: October 26, 2012 Justin Cole, 202-418-8191 Email: justin.cole@fcc.gov FCC RELEASES ADVISORY TIP SHEET ON COMMUNICATING DURING NATURAL DISASTERS AS HURRICANE SANDY APPROACHES US EAST COAST Tip Sheet Includes Practical Advice and Guidance for Communicating During a Natural Disaster Emergency Washington, D.C. – The Federal Communications Commission released an advisory today on how best to communicate during a natural disaster, as weather forecasts indicate that Hurricane Sandy is approaching the U.S. East Coast. The FCC advisory and tip sheet, which was devised in partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), incorporates practical advice and guidance that can be taken for communicating during a natural disaster emergency, such as limiting non-emergency telephone calls and keeping all telephone calls as brief as possible. The tip sheet also advises Americans caught in emergency situations to try text messaging, also known as short messaging service (SMS), when using a wireless phone as text messages, in many cases, will go through when a telephone call may not, and if possible, to try a variety of communications services such as email, wireless and landline phone calls if one service is not working. The tip sheet has been devised to assist people to be aware of their communications options – through nine easy measures - so they can effectively seek to maintain communications during an emergency situation and is available HERE, and via the following http link on the FCC’s website: http://www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia/consumer-tips-how-communicate-during-natural-disaster- emergency -FCC- News about the Federal Communications Commission can also be found on the Commission’s web site www.fcc.gov.