During and after Hurricane Irene, voice data networks may be busy. The Federal Emergency Management Agency recommends that you let friends and family know your status by sending a text, e-mail, or updating social media sites.

If you do need to make a phone call, keep it brief to free up “space” on the network for emergency communications and to conserve battery power, if you are using a wireless phone.

Also, wait 10 seconds before redialing a call on wireless devices. On many handsets, you simply push “send” after you’ve ended a call to redial the previous number. If you do this too quickly, there’s not enough time for the data to clear and it contributes to a clogged network.