In article , Mike Coslo writes:

Even if the infrastructure is largely intact, it can be overwhelmed by the
unexpected demand.

Correct! Which makes it not a likely candidate for emergency services.
If it works to let people know you're still alive or need help or
whatever, of course you use it. But it is still very much a point to
point solution. Which is to say, not a solution for large scale disasters.

Or even for localized disasters in high density areas.
I recall the pictures from the wildfires in San Diego last year showing
people trying to use their cell phones without success. The look on many
faces was one of surprise that the things weren't working.

Because they'd never encountered that behavior before.

Indicative on not knowing how the little things work. No tower or
power, no cell.

Of course. It's also possible that the system was being overwhelmed. Doesn't
really matter, if something is unavailable, the cause doesn't matter too much
except as an an indicator of when service might return, and as a lesson in what
to do different next time.

The ignorance of things technical is nothing new, of course. In some ways,
industries promote technical ignorance by using new terms (like "wireless" and
"cordless" rather than "radio") which make the technology actually used less
than clear.

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You might also enjoy this site:

http://www.fybush.com/site-021219.html

Interesting history of W2XMN, the past, present and future of a famous site.
Click on the links to see how far ignorance can go.

73 de Jim, N2EY