SMART Advisory: Preparing for Typhoon Ramil

[October 19, 2009]  Smart Communications, Inc. (SMART) is providing mobile phone users the following tips to prepare for typhoon ‘Ramil’, which is expected to make landfall in the early hours of Thursday in northern Luzon.

1.    Fully charge cell phone batteries and ensure that you have airtime for at least three days.

2.    In the event of power outages, conserve battery power.   Use voice calls wisely keeping in mind that text messaging uses less power.

3.    Store emergency numbers in your cell phone — family members you can call for help, television and radio stations where you can get storm information, and responding relief agencies like the National Disaster Coordinating Council, local government units, local police, local chapter of the Philippine National Red Cross, etc.  Keep a hard copy as well in case you run out of battery and need to use these numbers.

4.    Keep a battery-operated radio handy as well as spare batteries to make sure you stay informed about important news like evacuation warnings, storm updates, rescue developments, etc. in case electric and communication facilities shut down.

5.    Keep your cell phone dry.  Wrap it in plastic or use cling-wrap for easy use.

6.    Pack your charger so that you can easily re-charge your cell phone battery once power is restored or made available via other means such as charging stations of SMART Libreng Tawag Centers.

Typhoon Related Services:

Ask For Load:

SMART Buddy and Talk ‘N Text subscribers can also resort to the “Ask for Load” service which enables them to ask for airtime from friends or relatives for free even at zero balance.  This is useful during scenarios when they need to top up and there is no access to retailers.

To “Ask for Load”, dial *808 + 11-digit cell phone number of a SMART prepaid or postpaid subscriber then press call.

All Ask for Load requests are fixed at P5 airtime load.  Request is free of charge.

The donor should have a minimum balance of P6 to be able to transfer load to the requesting party.

Subscribers in need of load can “Ask for Load” from 3 different donors per day, but only once per donor.

Succeeding requests will be disallowed and will be charged P1.

Donors have until 12 midnight of the same day to reply to “Ask for Load” requests.

SMART and Talk ‘N Text subscribers can also receive weather updates from PAGASA via SMS.

They just need to register for free by texting ULAN<space>REG<space>NAME/ADDRESS/AGE and to 717-ULAN (7178526).

They can then subscribe to the service and start receiving weather updates by texting ULAN <space>PUSH <space>ON to 717-ULAN (7178526).

They can also initiate the query and not wait for an update by texting ULAN <space> INFO <space> ADVISORY to 700-ULAN (700-8526).

Those who later want to unsubscribe can text ULAN <space> PUSH <space>OFF to 700-8526. This service is free of charge

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