I sent this to a lot of people deploying to Hurricane Rita, but thought it would be good for all emergency personnel to carry, especially when there's no power available.

A great way to better ensure that you have cell phone power is to buy a few of the new, cheap, compact CELLBOOST disposable batteries for cell phones ($3.96 each at Wal-Mart). You are therefore never without cell phone use if there's no power available to charge up.

The description of CELLBOOST batteries says they weigh just over an ounce and can easily be stored in your pocket or belt pouch. They allow you to continuously talk, while simultaneously charging your dead battery, for 60 minutes or to remain in standby mode for up to 60 hours.