A dead phone is one of the most common, least dramatic reasons an emergency plan fails — worth a specific backup.
Simple backups
- A charged battery pack kept in a fixed, known location, not wherever it was last used
- A landline as backup, if available, since it doesn't depend on your phone's battery
- A medical alert pendant, which typically has its own battery independent of your phone entirely
Charge your phone at the same time each day (like plugging it in overnight) rather than only when the battery is already low — a habit that prevents most dead-battery emergencies before they start.