The United States had 1,265 confirmed tornadoes in 2010. When a tornado or severe thunderstorm approaches an area, a cell phone is an important tool during times of emergency.

U.S. Cellular, offers tips on how your cell phone can be a great tool during severe weather:

Stay charged up
Phones should be charged daily, so that individuals have sufficient battery life when they need it. If driving, keep a car charger nearby to re-charge when you are on-the-go. If a battery starts to run out,   U.S. Cellular customers can switch out their dead or dying battery for free through the Battery Swap program at any U.S. Cellular store.

Have important numbers handy and back them up
Keep all the numbers for local emergency contacts and immediate family stored in a cell phone for easy access in an emergency. With the free My Contacts Backup application, U.S. Cellular customers can safely store valuable contact information online for easy retrieval, even if the phone is lost or damaged beyond repair.

Store “ICE” (In Case of Emergency) contacts in your phone
Simply program “ICE” in front of a person’s name or title, such as “ICE Mom” or “ICE Dave,” to help first responders quickly contact these important people.  Make sure the ICE contact knows about any medical conditions that could affect emergency treatment for an individual, such as allergies or current medication.

Break through with texting
If phone service is disrupted by a high volume of calls during a storm, try sending a text message. Text messages take up less bandwidth than calls and often work when phone service is disrupted.

Rely on your phone to access websites and applications
When dealing with severe weather, staying up-to-date with forecasts is critical. Cell phones can instantly connect users to ...