When a disaster strikes, a natural first reaction people have is to pick up the phone to contact their family and friends. But the sheer number of calls triggered by a disaster can result in an overloaded telephone system. And that means critical calls can't get through.

In an emergency, we all have a responsibility not to abuse what will be a tremendously congested telephone system.

TELUS has several suggestions to help you use your telephone in the event of a disaster.

Because disasters strike without warning, we recommend that everyone develop a home disaster response plan.

In addition to preparing TELUS employees for a disaster, we are continually working to prepare our facilities.

In the first hours after a disaster, our priority will be to provide telephone access to essential emergency services, such as fire and police departments, and hospital and ambulance services.

Many municipalities and corporations own their own switches and telephones. As they prepare their emergency plans, we encourage them to investigate how much of their telephone system is their responsibility.

Answers to some frequently asked questions.