01A partial outage hurts more than a full one
When it's all down, you put your phone away. When it's half down, you keep retrying and keep getting let down.
Household Digital Go-Bag
"If a natural disaster takes the internet down, how do you still get to your work files and your family's data?"
Work files that open offline
Offline maps
A plan on paper (your SOP)
Your local network
2FA backup codes
Emergency supply kit
Let's pack it together
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If an undersea cable is damaged…
What could happen?
A partial outage probably unfolds in stages, over several hours
- 0–5 min
What could happenVoIP calls drop
WhyBGP reconvergence + call-control servers in Japan
- 5–30 min
What could happenEverything slows down and stalls
WhyCongestion collapse + tromboning
- 30–60 min
What could happenServices drop and log you out, one by one
WhyCache TTLs run out, tokens expire, DNS fails
- 1–6 hr
What could happenCloud back ends all go down
WhyThe control plane depends on servers overseas
01
02The cloud = someone else's computer
And the key that starts it up may not be in Taiwan.
03Servers in Taiwan ≠ keys in Taiwan
Data plane vs. control plane
The scenarios we cover
Everyone pictures a different kind of "internet outage." We start with a few that are easy to handle but that most people haven't prepared for yet.
- 1What you might expect
One morning, the whole island goes dark at once
What's more likelyIt's on and off, down in some areas and for some services, and it gets fixed
- 2
What you might expectOnce it's down, it never comes back
What's more likelyTelecom crews work hard to repair it
- 3
What you might expectWhat matters most is "how to send messages without the internet"
What's more likelyWhat matters is "can I still open my important files and folders"
Prepare for what's most likely to happen. Preparing for the most dramatic scenarios costs too much.
The four parts of an outage
Each part runs the same loop: how this layer breaks → check your own setup → put a fix in place
Part 1
Cut off from the world
We start with the farthest line.
Landing stations are packed into two places: Toucheng on the northeast coast and Fangshan in the far south
Put in the go-bag
Passwords and 2FA backup codes
Part 2
Cut off from your ISP
The world is still there, but you can't get out to it.
The reverse of Part 1: this time the trouble is in your own home, and the world outside is fine. The next county over may have no problem at all.
Put in the go-bag
A plan on paper (your SOP)
Part 3
Two-way backup and sync
The job here: "keep saving my files automatically, even while the internet is down."
Most people have only 1.5 copies right now.
Put in the go-bag
Work files that open offline
Part 4
The last mile is power
If your files sit on a drive attached to a computer that won't turn on, do they still exist?
The chain multiplies: if any one factor is 0, the whole chain is 0.
Put in the go-bag
Get a ~300Wh portable power station for your home (or at least a large power bank)
Digital go-bag
A digital go-bag works like an emergency supply kit
When the internet goes down, you won't have to go asking for help right away
Work files that open offline
Buy a portable hard drive, drag your "can't lose" folders onto it, and write the date on it. Next time you visit your family's hometown, leave it with a relative
Contact lists, rosters, and address books
Pick 10 key phone numbers, copy them onto paper, and put it on the fridge
Passwords and 2FA backup codes
Print the 2FA backup codes for all your accounts and keep them with your bank passbook
A plan on paper (your SOP)
Agree on a meetup rule for outages: if the internet is down for more than half a day, where and when you'll meet
Emergency supply kit
When the water or the power goes out, you won't have to rush out and fight over supplies
- Three days of water and nonperishable food
- Flashlight, batteries, and a radio
- Everyday medicines and a list of your prescriptions
- Some cash
If everyone can get through their own first three days, society and the economy have a much smaller shock to absorb all at once.
A go-bag isn't only for you. It keeps rescue capacity and scarce bandwidth free for the people who need them most.
Daily life and business have to go on
Staying in touch matters. But if the connection comes back and you still can't get to your work files, it doesn't do you much good. Everyone still has to work, and work runs on files. Even at war, Ukraine keeps working
After Russian strikes, shops along Ukrainian streets were still burning as residents walked past. The war has gone on for more than four years, and Ukrainians and local businesses have learned to keep daily life and business going through the chaos.
"As long as we're open, this city is still alive."
When the internet is shaky, backups matter more
And offices already have the answer: every office network is a local network (LAN) of your own
When the internet goes down, nobody has to haul an antenna up a mountain. Fall back to your local network
Household Digital Go-Bag (one page for your family)
- 5 minutes
Download offline maps on everyone's phone (three areas: home, work, and your family's hometown)
- 5 minutes
Pick 10 key phone numbers, copy them onto paper, and put it on the fridge
- 10 minutes
Print the 2FA backup codes for all your accounts and keep them with your bank passbook
- 15 minutes
Agree on a meetup rule for outages: if the internet is down for more than half a day, where and when you'll meet
- 20 minutes
In Google Drive Desktop, switch your family's important folders to Mirror (the whole folder syncs both ways, automatically)
- 30 minutes
Buy a portable hard drive, drag your "can't lose" folders onto it, and write the date on it. Next time you visit your family's hometown, leave it with a relative
- Compare prices
Get a ~300Wh portable power station for your home (or at least a large power bank) to keep the router and phones running through a blackout night
Total time: about 85 minutes (not counting "Compare prices")
All of it takes one weekend afternoon.
Get your family readyPick the path that fits you
Related pages
Other pages
Why build a digital go-bag
Everyone
The simple version, for helping your family
Family members and older relatives
About and credits
Everyone